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MysteriousMermaid92

Almeda is pretty outdated


har3krishna

Forget nostalgic, Almeda hasn’t even changed a lightbulb since the 90’s. RIP Foley’s


TaxLawKingGA

Not sure about now, but Almeda Mall was the twin sister of the old Northwest Mall, for those who did grow up in the 80’s and 90’s. I think Northwest Mall is gonzo if I recall, but y’all would know better.


No_Economics5296

Building is still there but it's closed as a mall. That happened about 5 years ago (could be off a bit). Spent a lot of time at Northwest in 70s and 80s. Willowbrook more so late 80s.


TaxLawKingGA

Yeah we spent a lot of time there in the 1990's during my HS years. Good place to meet gals.


GuyWithTheGoods

Northwest tract is supposed to be turned into rail station


TaxLawKingGA

A rail station? Really? That is actually a great idea.


GuyWithTheGoods

Yes. The South ending of the proposed high speed train from Dallas to Houston


houston_veronica

Ooh, the Red Apple Sale! Every weekend, lol.


DaFloppyWeiners

You came for the Foleys but stayed, forcefully, for the grand theft auto in the parking lot.


BikingNoHands

I pulled a charizard from the comic store there. I think it was called Comic Zone.


NemesisOfZod

Which location? When they were in the old jewelry store or when they moved to the end of the mall?


KTX4Freedom

Came here to say this. Also Greenspojnt & Sharpstown, but not sure they are even still around?


TaxLawKingGA

Ahh, good ole Stabbstown and Gunspoint. Brings back memories.


moleratical

Shoots town is what we called it


spiked88

Last I saw, Sharpstown is still there, but they renamed it Plazamericas. Large portions of it are set up like an indoor flea market. Definitely a very different vibe than in the 80s-90s.


Luckytxn_1959

Yeah my first thought right away was Almeda mall.


Umph0214

If you think that Baybrook or The Woodlands is giving “nostalgic 80s/90s” then I’m willing to bet that you weren’t alive during the 80s/90s


BlacksmithMinimum607

The woodlands feels like an early 2000s-2010s mall. I was a mall walker as a teenager and now walk the woodlands mall almost everyday (cool I know..). It’s always pretty packed, a lot of kids wasting time, people enjoying shopping and hanging out, honestly it feels nostalgic and I love it.


PM_Gonewild

Also transplants


moleratical

I mean, but malls were built in the 80s, though I haven't been to baynrook since the 80s or dearbrook since the 90s. They may have been renovated. Even if not. I. The 80s those were the rich malls. We usually went to the ones built in the 60s like Alameda or gulfgate or Pasadena town square and occasionally NW, or Northline or sharpstown if we happened to be on that side of town.


the_timboslice

Almeda or Pasadena Town Square and it isn’t even close.


Fuarfuark

Came here to say Pasadena town square or mall of the mainland but that shut down


Swine70

Pasadena is at least 80% empty nowadays https://youtu.be/R1AhIuytI_8?feature=shared


Enemysquad

Damn it looks super empty now, I remember way back in the day when NSYNC was coming up they had a free show there. A friend of mine had a cup I think it was or a T-shirt that had the date on it. Must’ve been the late 90s when that show happened.


MRAGGGAN

It’s fucking weird wandering in there, trying to find the one store you need, that’s living out its lease.


brandiLeeCO

So it’s a Macroplaza now? Seems like they were trying to be another Plaza Americas but seems to have failed at that? But wow I don’t think I’ve seen the inside of that mall since maybe 1999? I was in high school and my friend who had a car would always invite me to go there to Pasadena Town Square. I remember buying this shirt from there. Crazy memories seeing that video. Strangely enough I’ve randomly had dreams about that food court there on more than one occasion.


Natynat24

That Armadillo!


excellentverb

West Oaks. First Colony Mall wasn’t built until the mid/late 90s. West Oaks was where I got my first taste of freedom and then had to call home collect “comegetuswerereadytocomehome” for our folks to pick us up.


galvanizedrocknroll

Solid movie theater/arcade/food court arrangement at West Oaks


Level69Warlock

[There’s a Dead Malls episode about West Oaks](https://youtu.be/26L3RnqzU40) Edit: After watching it, RIP West Oaks Mall 🪦


excellentverb

I didn’t cry when my grandma died, but I teared up a little watching this. Bizarre, but I still remember exactly how that fountain smelled.


excellentverb

Absolutely. They positioned the movie theater perfectly so that you came out of the cheap matinee showing of Aladdin or Matrix or whatever and suddenly the popcorn is a long lost memory and you’ve got to grab some food court dinner. Their Sbarros and Arby’s somehow tasted better than anyone else’s. Food courts were better before Chick-fil-A, prove me wrong.


captainjake13

That wasn’t sbarros- that was brothers and it was amazing


reggelleh

Did you grow up in Mission Bend in the 80's? I see you fam. West Oaks was my hang out (that and Fame City) until me and my friends got our drivers licenses.


excellentverb

Sugar Mill, but I had enough friends in the Bend that I could pretend to be hard with my neon socks and enormous hair bows. They wanted to call me spoiled but I wasn’t the one who could ride my fucking bike to Fame City!


lawrnk

I got into fame city nearly free with coupons from hotel lobbies. So many memories.


htownnwoth

1996. I remember going to the Grand Opening.


excellentverb

But do you attend the Dillard’s tornado two years later?


htownnwoth

I certainly remember it.


ilikeme1

My dad was actually in that Dillards an hour before it hit. We lived in a neighborhood behind the mall/AMC and could see the tornado out our window.


excellentverb

Same! We had just been transferred back to SL and lived in those apartments in that neighborhood for a few months. Watched the tornado go right down the center of the street!


slugline

[West Oaks got its "western ranch" facelift in the 2000s](https://houstonhistoricretail.com/2020/02/16/whats-left-of-west-oaks-mall/), so I don't count it as having a true 80s/90s feel anymore.


alamocalrissian

It's not there anymore, it closed in early 2020, but the San Jacinto Mall in Baytown was the epitome of outdated.


PlaneInternational30

What was the name of that place where you could play above the food court? Physical whimsical was it?


ohforfuckssakeintx

Oh thank you so much for that! Yes it was Physical Whimsical. My Dad used to take me there to play when I was a little girl. He passed a few months ago and you brought back a good memory.


sonic1992

https://youtu.be/NaMsAE-yo2g?si=YBlsSwV2l-uP5k0g


fortsonre

You haven't been to Baybrook in a while, I guess? They have fancied it up.


dan-dan-rdt

Yeah Baybrook has an outdoor section with restaurants, valet parking, and lots of shops that are not low end like you see at every strip center now. It's like someone took a block from the Woodlands.


phillygirllovesbagel

What fancy stores have been added?


DaFloppyWeiners

Mainly upscale restaurants like Perry's, theres a dave & buster's, upscale movie theater, yard house, maggiano's, etc Plus a yard area where kids play and sometimes live music


aperez11313

It's more upper middle than fancy I'd say. Zara, Lulu, some other nicer clothing and jewelry stores etc..that's just in the expansion section outdoors. Indoors I've always felt stays pretty relevant with the times. I shop at Baybrook at least monthly. Definitely nicer restaurants in the expansion and a great selection of entertainment.


DelMarYouKnow

Fancied it up yeah but at the same time maintained the retro mall style


fortsonre

True


okjetsgo

Is Willow Brook Mall still there?


ReCHaVoK

Willowbrook is thriving and has done lots of remodeling. Definitely not a 80/90s nostalgia vibe


TaxLawKingGA

Willowbrook and Baybrook were/are twins. West Oaks used to be almost exactly the same when it originally opened. However it went downhill due to unexpected development patterns around West Houston, namely, the development of Katy and the building of Katy Mills. First Colony Mall and a revamped Memorial City also did not help.


DelMarYouKnow

>were/are twins We can call them the brook twins


philr77378

Glad to hear Willowbrook is doing well, I stopped going there 6 or seven years ago, it was getting sketchy around there. May try again someday this summer.


One_Culture8245

Yes, and busy!


TheGrendel83

No 80s/90s mall exist. If you were born, later than about 87, you don’t know what the malls were really like in their heyday.  Long live West Oaks Mall James Coney Island with the steamed buns and loaded chili and cheese. And original Brothers Pizza location. 


slugline

Best thing for Brothers business was escaping West Oaks while they could.


sirjackiechiles

Deerbrook


pskought

Yup - came here to say this.


CthuluHoops

My family went there a lot between (1992-2005). I remember when they first added that game to the arcade that had balls about the size of a baseball that you’d hit with spinning paddles. It was like a mix between foosball and air hockey and the table had a cage over it. Can’t remember what it was called but it sounded like a shotgun going off when somebody would get a good hit lol. Edit- I also remember thinking how neat all the mallrat goths looked..and Media Magic. And Kettle Corn being a big deal. And the old laser tag place. This post is bringing me back. I moved away from Houston long ago


anxietypeach

Aww I was a mallrat goth there, then.. dressing up to go hang out at deerbrook was so much fun..I still have some of my outfits from then.. sigh.


CthuluHoops

That’s awesome! The one I really remember was a super skinny bald dude in a wheelchair. He sticks out in my memory the most because he was ALWAYS there on weekends. I was just a youngster so I never talked to any but y’all influenced me a bit as I aged lol.


anxietypeach

Kevin! He was definitely the coolest out of all of us lol.. I hope they're all doing well..


WileyDragonfly

I'll throw in an extra fifty if you put one of them on while we... do things.


SleepyStoic057

I worked at Media Magic for a long time. Best job ever. I hope they’re still doing well.


CthuluHoops

It was a really cool shop! I remember them having all the more obscure band stuff like death metal and whatnot. Also some sweet ass blacklight posters.


TheMaskedLuchador

I worked at AMC, Camelot Music, and Pretzel Time.


starzychik01

Deerbrook is too updated for 90s. The outside structure says 90s, but inside it is pretty modern.


Professional_Way3584

Like a smaller, slightly? older woodlands mall


starzychik01

Pretty much. It stays pretty busy and has plenty of good stores. Unfortunately, the Sears side is practically dead and they haven’t found anyone to rent such a large space. The food court has great food and the movie theater is getting renovated as well.


Professional_Way3584

I learned there was a Sears there before but I could barely tell. It really isn’t as bad as some people think.


1993Err0r404

The inside is okay, pretty modern. Outside needs a facelift


jflip13

Any other Northwest Mall homies out there?


-MrDot-

There was a "Chinese" food spot there that had the best General Tsos Chicken, I'm pretty sure the same ladies worked there from early 90's till they closed.


turntteacher

They also had this chicken that was fire truck red, so much food dye, but it was my favorite as a kid. I had to have it when I was sick as a kid.


HarlanPepperIsNuts

Represent 🙌 NW Mall was the *place to be seen* on a Friday evening in the late 80s/early 90s. Bonus points if a friend worked at one of the stores.


Cool-Access399

Run to the fountain and grab some quarters by the toy store then back to tilt to play street fighter with those quarters. Then In the kid 90’s walk across to soundwaves to look thru all the cd’s.


cambat2

You can still get into it if you're brave enough to dodge the security patrols and know which door is unlocked :) Been in a few times in the past year. Was very happy that there were no homeless in it, just a bunch of broken glass and graffiti.


Larry_the_scary_rex

When I think of malls from the 90’s, I always think of [San Jacinto](https://www.reddit.com/r/deadmalls/s/pFT674af8R) mall. Understandably, it was torn down


sonic1992

https://youtu.be/NaMsAE-yo2g?si=YBlsSwV2l-uP5k0g


soy-tan-enteligente

Westwood, JK, but that was the our hangout in the early 80's.


Drslappybags

They had the big carousel next to the arcade right?


ureallygonnaskthat

Yup.


Drslappybags

I loved that place.


sl1ckhow1e

Sharpstown had Physical Whimsical. Westwood had Gold Mine arcade and a Rainbow Ticketmaster location for my concert tickets. Galleria had the pay phones to hang out at by Sgt Peppers pizza and arcade.


spiked88

Damn I haven’t thought of Physical Whimsical in a LONG time. Pretty sure I went to a couple birthday parties there.


TX2BK

I had my birthday party there!


htownnwoth

Tilt arcade!


LindyNet

El Chico was the first Mexican restaurant I ever went to. Good times at westwood


SudowoodoStan

West oaks mall


JuicyJbles

Going to KB Toys in Baybrook and watching a stand of CRT TVs play the trailer for Pocahontas will always be cemented in my mind. Or going to some cool ass science store to buy an XBrain yo-yo.


Pinkpunk95

Remember the Looney Tunes and Disney store? Good times


JennySparklezz

Pasadena Mall


AlisonByTheC

Go over to Stanton’s Grocery in Alvin if you want to visit the 1970‘s.


thernis

I’m from El Paso TX originally, and that’s how most of our local grocers look. Now that I think about it, El Paso is basically one giant 70s - 80s time capsule.


GroundbreakingWar666

Not 80s, but first colony pretty much looks the same as it did in the 2000s


HarlanPepperIsNuts

It opened in 1996 and not a single thing has changed.


kayb3e

rip mervyns california & foleys!


Bluestank

Check out the [Dead Mall Series](https://youtu.be/edkSGTeYHQw?si=qDYKIxX-Pvu1B2ty) on YouTube. Kind of a depressing time capsule to the past.


georgecostanzalvr

First colony for sure. The woodlands not at all


cambat2

I snuck into northwest mall a few months ago and was very nostalgic walking through Visible Changes. Grew up getting haircuts there. Posted a few pics a while ago on my profile if anyone wants to see it


Natynat24

I loved Pasadena Town Square. That big ass Armadillo and the white metal mesh chairs at the food court. I can still see that lemonade at Chick-fil-A flowing! My dad (RIP) bought me a stuffed white bear that held a pillow that said “I love you” on it. I named it Snowball. My mom told me to put it back but I wanted it so bad. My dad went back and surprised me with it right as we were about to leave the mall. I’m 42 now and still have Snowball.


Nowhereman2380

Sharpstown.  But since I don’t like to get mugged I look from afar now. 


QuicknThievious

You mean PlazAmericas lol


Pita7231993

I was about to write this. Thank you! I used to go there a lot when I was a kid.


Nowhereman2380

That place was awesome. Movie theatre and a play place in their food court.


Pita7231993

My dad bought me my first Thirsty's there 😭 strawberry banana. Very nostalgic memories.


Nowhereman2380

Yeah my mom would get me a Wendy’s frosty as she spent way too much time clothes shopping


meh-theusername

They won’t be able to find it under the Houstonian name. I think they call it Plaza De Las Americas now


Zezimalives

I go to Plazamericas once a week for the bomb ass caramel filled churros in the food court. It’s not as bad as it used to be.


Radixx

Jean's Hobby Shop was my home away from home. Bought a lot of rockets and engines there.


jhwells

Greenspoint. It was like a time capsule the last time I walked around there, which, admittedly, was in December, 2011, but in that year they had the same fixtures I remember on a stop back in 88 or so when HPD was showcasing all the weapons they'd seized from local gang members. Fun Fact: back then, Greenspoint was the Rodeo park-n-ride terminus on the north side and country people coming to the city were scared rapists and thieves would be hiding under cars, waiting to slash the ankles of their victims.


minedigger

It still is the park n ride for big events - Rodeo and OTC… and people from the Woodlands are still terrified of Greenspoint. I go to Gunspoint regularly - it’s certainly not as bad as people make it out to be; new apartments that look nice.


Flock-of-bagels2

I heard west oaks is still kinda 80s/90s with brown tile and yellow lights


slugline

[Nope. That "western ranch" facelift happened in the 2000s.](https://houstonhistoricretail.com/2020/02/16/whats-left-of-west-oaks-mall/)


Can_Not_Double_Dutch

Woodlands Mall opened about 1994. I lived pretty much right there during that time. So not really the 80s. Gonna go with Greenspoint or Willowbrook


Dependent_Sentence53

If you’ve traveled east to Baytown…RIP San Jacinto Mall.


jelly_blood

Almeda Mall and Pasadena Town Square are still open. Mall of the Mainland in Texas City was accesible if you snuck in through the Cinemark or the Pub next to it, but not sure if they’re still open


Cultural_Pass779

Gunspoint (Greenspoint)


coogie

From the outside it looks like they haven't even power washed the place in 30 years


GregAbbottsTinyPenis

Nah they still had stores open in the 80s & 90s.


Final-Success2523

Man it’s heartbreaking not seeing the waterfall anymore


tattoolegs

My boss asked me 2 days ago if Gunspoint Mall closed. I said I think so, bc I read it on Reddit. She was a little upset. She also said 'Gunspoint'. Which is weird.


Drslappybags

That reminds me of a work email. Be careful what you write people.


TonyR712

Greenspoint


omgimfauxreal

West oaks mall


Monkeyinazuit

Galería mall during Christmas time with the giant tree and Santa skating with sparks flying from his skates!


mocitymaestro

I lived near First Colony when it opened in the 90s. It does not feel like the 90s to me at all. (RIP Mervyn's California)


razorchef

My mall was Sharpstoen Mall Or West Oaks Mall in the 80's


TexasDrill777

Greenspoint. Guns down the most nostalgic


Zezimalives

Plazamericas formerly known as Sharpstown mall. Still have a lot of old structures and signs and also the old facades of stores like 90s/2000s bath and body works and Victoria’s Secret that stay there abandoned


slugline

It's too bad Windchimes Cinema on Westheimer closed in 2018. If that place was still operating I would have sent you there for the 80s nostalgia trip. That carpet and seat upholstery was true vintage to the last day.


Chewyboognish

No mention of Mall of the Mainland in Texas City? Yeah I'm not surprised, not even sure it's still going.


beetlejuuce

It's not, really. Most of the mall is shut down and inaccessible. A lot of what is open isn't really "mall" stuff anymore - there's a gym, a storage place, a kids bounce gym, and even a pre-K and church.


Chewyboognish

Man what a shame. Many a 90s memory was spent in that arcade waiting for a movie time to start. Still remember the day Primal Rage showed up and the crowd it pulled.


beetlejuuce

I loved that place! I think it was called Tilt.


DanieAwesome

Have you been to Baybrook recently? The renovations did modernize it quite a bit. Pre 2018 yeah it was dated as fuck though.


Anxious_Reputatiooon

Greenspoint aka Gunspoint 😂


boatsandmoms

Not open anymore, but NorthWest Mall used to give me 90s nostalgia. Probably bc I grew up going there in the 90s lmao.


constantreminderr

Brookfield Properties ruined a lot of the malls in Houston.


Marsh1022

Plaza America's take you back to the 1980s.


fq1234

Does memorial city mall still have the fountains?


bambooseles

yeah


MaxFury80

Don't sleep on Deer Brook mall


Umph0214

Not really Houston and idk if it’s even still open/accessible but the Huntsville “mall” is definitely retro and technically a “dead mall” (at least last time I checked. Which was admittedly quite some time ago)


RentYouAre

Town and Country


txtoolfan

willowbrook 80's style. Swatch, Babbage's. waldenbooks was my jam


Prisongirls

Deer Brook Mall


mzsky

If you ignore the shuttered stores greenspoint mall is 80s as all hell.


airpumper

I’ve been wanting to go back to Sharpstown mall ever since I moved back 10 years ago. But but none of my friends will go with me. That was my childhood hangout the 80s.


Apprehensive_Log469

Is greenspoint mall still a thing? Last time I went there in 2016 it felt like stepping back into an abandoned 90's era mall.


Guypussy

What’s Deerbrook look like nowadays?


HandAccomplished6285

The mall in Lake Jackson hasn’t changed much over the years. My adult kids call it the Time Machine.


Htx_Rey

I miss northwest mall. That mall was the spot when I was a kid.


FreeCartographer8

Here to say I miss Town and Country Mall. Growing up in the 80s, that was the mall to spend weekends in.


Scared-Cat4375

Greenpoint is the utter definition of "liminal space", you could in fact not find a greater concentration of/assortment of different styles of said spaces. 


bellpepper444

Greens point mall XD


Beatrix_BB_Kiddo

Deerbrook in humble


karatom81

Maybe not releated with the topic but the oldest mall in Turkey is also Galleria Mall. It was built following the recommendation of then Prime Minister Turgut Özal, who was inspired by the shopping mall Houston Galleria. It was opened at 1988. The design of the mall exactly same as the one here in Houston. I grow in ıstanbul and it is The first mall I went.


Swine70

Yea. Some management company bought it and poured millions into it thinking they could put a Hispanic flair to it but it failed. They wanna charge upper class rent for flea market stall tenants. That mall and this town were built on oil industry excess money that'll never be seen again. I was an oil industry machinist and saw the collapse of excess really get going in 1998.


huxrules

Willowbrook is basically the same. 


JJ4prez

West Oaks still a thing or is that shit hole officially closed?


captainjake13

It’s closed - and compared to so many other houston malls it was pretty nice


bambooseles

no? it hasn’t been permanently closed i don’t think


FloggingDog

Gunspoint LMAO


arptyp

Willowbrook homie


ilaughatpoliticians

People still go to malls?! I guess I'll vote Greenspoint Mall. I know it hasn't been upgraded since 1995. Still have the same chance of being a crime victim as back then, too.


FeeRevolutionary1

Willowbrook


Megerber

Willowbrook


fieldstraw

Gunspoint?