Post Oak Mall

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David Gwin, the economic development director for College Station, is working with the mall on a possible $8.5 million renovation project to give the mall a further boost, but details on what the renovation would entail are currently unknown.cite web |url=http://theeagle.com/stories/091407/local_20070914013.php |title=College Station examines city's economic incentives |accessdate=2008-01-25 |last=Avison |first=April |date=2007-09-14 |publisher=The Bryan-College Station Eagle]

tores

While the bulk of Post Oak Mall's 125 stores are clothing and accessory shops, it is also home to several hair salons and cosmetic stores, two video game stores, two optical shops, a Dallas Cowboys Pro Shop, a full-service branch of First National Bank of Bryan, and a puppy store. In addition to six food vendors in the central food court, the mall houses full-size Casa Olé and Chuck E. Cheese's restaurants, and kiosk versions of Auntie Anne's and Dippin' Dots. There is also a small indoor children's play area located in the food court, a night club, and recruitment centers for the Air Force, US Army, Navy, and US Marines.cite web |url=http://postoakmall.com/shop/postoak.nsf/storedir_all_cat |publisher=Post Oak Mall |title=Stores by Category |accessdate=2008-01-25 ]

When it opened, the mall also contained a three screen Plitt movie theater. Cineplex Odeon later bought out the Plitt chain. [cite web |url=http://www.cobbles.com/simpp_archive/studio-theaters_today.htm |title=The Movie Theater Chains of the Media Giants |publisher=Cobblestone Entertainment, Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers |work=The Hollywood Renegades Archive |accessdate=2008-07-13 ] The Post Oak Mall location was eventually sold to Carmike before closing for good in 1999. [cite web |url=http://www.cinematour.com/tour/us/8895.html |title=Post Oak Mall 3 |publisher=CinemaTour |accessdate=2008-07-13 ] cite web |url=http://www.secinfo.com/drp8r.55.htm |title=CBL & Associates Properties Inc · 8-K · For 9/30/00 |publisher=Fran Finnegan & Company |work=SECInfo.com |date=2000-09-30 |accessdate=2008-04-09 |quote="...Last week, General Cinema became the latest of five operators to file for bankruptcy. Though we have no exposure to General Cinema in our existing portfolio we have had four locationsclosed to date by Carmike, which has also filed for bankruptcy protection. These closed theaters were located at Post Oak Mall in College Station, TX..."] The empty space was replaced with a full-service restaurant and an entertainment section.cite journal |last=Bodamer |first=Dave |authorlink= |year=2002 |month=April |title=Owners Show How To Bring Dead Anchor Spaces to Life |journal=Shopping Centers Today |publisher=International Council of Shopping Centers |volume=April 2002 |pages=1c |url=http://www.icsc.org/srch/sct/sct0402/page1c.php |accessdate= 2008-03-06 ]

KB Toys was another of the mall's first occupants, and it was one of only four toy stores in the Brazos County after the other two toy stores once in the mall closed. Though KB Toys managed to stay profitable despite the opening of a Toys R Us beside the mall in 1994, it was forced to close its doors in January 2003 after being unable to come to an agreement with the mall over the lease renewal terms. The space once occupied by the KB Toys was leased to clothing store Wet Seal, and the mall has not actively pursued any other toy stores to replace it.cite web |url=http://theeagle.com/brazossunday/122202toys.htm |title=A toy story comes to an end at Post Oak Mall |publisher=The Bryan-College Station Eagle |lastname=Brown |firstname=Kelly |date=2002-12-22 |accessdate=2008-01-25 ]

A local staple, The Curiosity Shop, moved into the mall in 1985. After being a featured store for twenty years, it left in August 2002 to move to a larger location.

Anchors

With the exception of Bealls and Steve & Barry's, the mall's current anchor stores are not owned by the mall, but are free-standing units that are privately owned. The first four anchor stores in the mall Sears, Dillard's, Wilson's, and Foley's. Bealls, became the fifth anchor when it opened a second location in Post Oak a few weeks after the mall's opening. [cite news |title=Bealls advertisement |work=Bryan-College Station Eagle |location=College Station, Texas |page=8E |date=1982-02-21 ] In 1985, JCPenney became the sixth anchor when it moved into the newly expanded mall from its Bryan Manor East Mall location.

In 1985, the H.J. Wilson Company was taken over by Service Merchandise, then in 1999, Service Merchandise went bankrupt.cite web |url=http://www.secinfo.com/drp8r.6a.htm |title=CBL & Associates Properties Inc · 8-K · For 3/31/99 |publisher=Fran Finnegan & Company |work=SECInfo.com |date=1999-04-29 |accessdate=2008-01-25 ] The empty anchor location became a second Dillard's location, housing their specialty Mens & Housewares store.cite web |url=http://www.secinfo.com/drp8r.6a.htm |title=CBL & Associates Properties Inc · 8-K · For 6/30/99 |publisher=Fran Finnegan & Company |work=SECInfo.com |date=1999-07-29 |accessdate=2008-01-25 ] After May Department Stores, the parent company of Foley's, merged with Federated Department Stores, the Foley's location was temporarily closed while it was converted to a Macy's department store. The new Macy's officially opened on September 9, 2006.cite web |url=http://theeagle.com/stories/090306/business_20060903054.php |title=Post Oak Mall welcomes Macy's |publisher=The Bryan-College Station Eagle |date=2006-09-03 |lastname=Watkins |firstname=Matthew |accessdate=2008-01-25 ] Steve & Barry's University Sportswear became the mall's sixth anchor store, and its first without an exterior exist, with the opening of its 30,000 square foot location on August 5, 2005.cite web |url=http://theeagle.com/stories/071005/business_20050710026.php |title=College sportswear store to open in College Station |publisher=The Bryan-College Station Eagle |date=2005-07-10 |accessdate=2008-01-25 ] In 2008, after Steve & Barry's declared bankruptcy, the parent company announced that the mall store would be closed as part of its refocus on being a smaller chain of stores. [cite web |url=http://www.theeagle.com/local/Steve--amp-amp--Barry-s--to-close-mall-store |title=Steve & Barry's to close mall store |work=Bryan/College Station Eagle |date=2008-09-03 |accessdate=2008-09-03 ]

Food court

Post Oak's has a relatively small food court, housing only six food stall vendors. In addition to the more "traditional" mall offerings, including several fast-food chain locations, a Chinese fast food stall, and a pizza stall, the food court houses the locally operated Taste of the Tropics, a maker of pure fruit smoothies, and Smoothies Ice Cream & Yogurt, which sells the regionally produced Blue Bell ice cream brand along with other drinks and smoothie options. The stalls arranged on the edges in a semi-round area, with seating and the children's playground in the center, and openings to the mall concourse on both ends.

A McDonald's was located in the mall for fifteen years, but left in 2002 as part of regional owner Ron Blatchley's over all renovation plans. It was quickly replaced by Sonic, becoming the seventh Sonic in Brazos Valley, and the only one that does not have either a drive-in nor drive through option.cite web |url=http://theeagle.com/businesstechnology/061902mcdonaldsalter.htm |title= Several McDonald's to undergo alterations |lastname=Levey |firstname=Kelli |publisher=The Bryan-College Station Eagle |date=2002-06-19 |accessdate=2008-01-26 ]

References

External links

*Official|http://postoakmall.com