Sharpstown Mall

infobox shopping mall
shopping_mall_name = Sharpstown Center

|thumb]
caption = View along Bellaire Boulevard
location = Houston, Texas, USA
opening_date = 1961
developer = Frank Sharp
manager = Transwestern
owner = Tracy Suttles
number_of_stores =
number_of_anchors = 1
floor_area =
floors = 2
website = [http://www.shopsharpstown.com/ www.shopsharpstown.com]

Sharpstown Mall, formerly named Sharpstown Center, is a shopping mall located in the Sharpstown development of Houston, Texas. The mall is located on the northwest corner of U.S. Route 59 and Bellaire Boulevard. This is the second mall to be built in Houston after Gulfgate Mall opened in 1956. Sharpstown Center was the first air-conditioned, enclosed shopping mall in the Houston area. [ [http://www.sharpstownscan.com/history.htm The Sharpstown SCAN - A Quick History of Sharpstown ] ]

History

The mall opened on September 14, 1961 just days after Hurricane Carla hit Houston, with over only 8,000 shoppers (a number that was affected by the hurricane) present and a guest speaker, future U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy. The enclosed mall was considered unique for the area, and a luxury given Houston's historically unpredictable weather.The mall contained the marvelous Clock of Texas, an animated look at the history of Texas through the centuries.Sharpstown Center consisted of many stores, including anchors Montgomery Ward, Battelstein's and the first Foley's store outside of downtown Houston, along with the Sharpstown State Bank—which closed after the Sharpstown scandal; now the Jewelry Exchange Center. Because it was Houston's first air conditioned mall, many Houston residents residing in the central part of the city wanted to experience the "mall of the future." The remains of the former bank are three drive-throughs in the middle of the front parking lot that are still standing to this day.

Transportation was a major problem because it took Houstonians hours to get to the mall. Frank Sharp decided to donate a 300 ft (91 m) [cite book | last = Slotboom | first = Oscar F. "Erik" | title = Houston Freeways | publisher = Oscar F. Slotboom | year = 2003 | id = ISBN 0-9741605-3-9 Also available in full online: [http://www.houstonfreeways.com Houston Freeways] .] wide strip of land to build the Southwest Freeway (U.S. Route 59) through his development and position the mall on the outbound side of the freeway to provide quick access to the mall.

The mall fought off competition from The Galleria and Westwood Mall, which both opened in the 1970s. In the early 1980s, a second floor was added and the mall was extensively renovated from its original 1950s appearance. A food court was added in the former Battelstein's department store.

In 1993, the mall was branded as the "Sharpstown Center" and underwent a minor facelift that included a new ten-screen movie theater. The branding would revert back to the original name in early 2008. However, it suffered a major blow in 1996 when First Colony Mall in the burgeoning suburb of Sugar Land opened, resulting in the loss of many of the mall's national retailers as well as the closing of rival Westwood Mall in 1998, which at one time lured Foley's to come to the mall, a move which would have resulted in the closing of the Sharpstown Foley's. Around May 1, 1998, J.C. Penney closed the Sharpstown location and expected that the remodeled Meyerland Plaza location would pick up business from the area. [ [http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1998_3035743 J.C. Penney to shutter SW store / Site at Sharpstown 1 of 75 to be closed] , "Houston Chronicle", February 21, 1998.] By 2001, the mall was seized in a foreclosure. [The fall of a mall / Sharpstown Center seized in foreclosure, "Houston Chronicle", February 8, 2001.] The mall now contains mostly independent shops. [ [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/style/shop/malls/3462339.html Sharpstown Mall] , "Houston Chronicle", November 18, 2005.] However, some national chain specialty stores such as Bath & Body Works still have a store in the mall.

Recently, to attract customers, it bills itself as "Houston's Premiere Urban Mall" on its website to compete against the nearby Galleria. The mall's proximity to the city center and frontage on a major freeway might revitalize the mall and the surrounding development in the fashion of Memorial City Mall and its surrounding area. As of May 2007, the mall is now nearly 25 percent vacant. [ [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/alief/news/4819509.html Sharpstown mall reinvents itself for urban appeal] , "Houston Chronicle", May 20, 2007.]

On October 20, 2007, local hip hop radio station KPTY, owned by Univision, opened a state of the art broadcast studio called Studio 104.9. Located not too far from the Univision building in Uptown, KPTY will broadcast from here on a regular basis. [ [http://www.rapsearch.com/news/index.php?itemid=2226 Radio Station KPTY Party 104.9 FM "Houston's Hip-Hop Station" Grand Opening] , "HipHop News", October 19, 2007. ]

On December 28, 2007, Macy's announced that it will close its location in Sharpstown, which was formerly the first chain Foley's store, that opened in 1961, the same time the mall opened its doors. [ [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/5408789.html Macy's to shutter historic Sharpstown location] , "Houston Chronicle", December 29, 2007.] The liquidation sale will end March 15,2008 and employees will be moved to other Macy's stores. [ [http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=6022546 Macy's to close its doors at Sharpstown Mall 3/15/08] , "KTRK-TV", March 15, 2008]

On January 9, 2008, Finger Furniture announced that it will be closing its doors at Sharpstown Mall. [ [http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2008/01/07/daily28.html Finger Furniture follows Macy's in exiting Sharpstown Mall] . "Houston Business Journal", January 9, 2008]

As of January 11, 2008, the mall is operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and is up for sale. The owner of the mall, Urban Mall Houston, is over $53 million in debt. [ [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/biz/5445744.html Sharpstown Center, in Chapter 11, is for sale] , "Houston Chronicle", January 11, 2008.]

Anchor stores

*Burlington Coat Factory "(181,477 square feet, opened in former Montgomery Ward 2002)" [ [http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2002/11/04/daily12.html Sharpstown Mall sells to investment group] , "Houston Business Journal", November 5, 2002]
*"Vacant (360,846 square feet, opened as Foley's in 1961, became Macy's 2006, closed March 152008)" [" [http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/071228/20071228005155.html?.v=1 Macy's, Inc. to Close Nine Stores] ," "Yahoo!"] " [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/biz/5439082.html Mall to lose Finger store] ," "Houston Chronicle", January 9, 2008]
*"Vacant (Opened as Fingers Furniture, closed in 2008)"
*"Vacant (177,229 square feet, opened as JCPenney in 1981, closed 1998, still empty)"

References

External links

* [http://www.shopsharpstown.com/ Sharpstown Mall] official website