25 Texas Malls From the ’80s and ’90s That Have Changed or Disappeared

The mall in the '80s and '90s was the center of most teenagers' lives back then. The mall was a place where teens met up and hung out with friends and tried on the latest fashions, picked up the latest music on cassette singles or cd's, caught a movie on the big screen, grabbed a bite to eat at Corn Dog 7, Chick-fil-A, or an Orange Julius or played games in the arcade. While the mall still exists, it's nothing like it was during its prime.

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Why Texas Malls Were So Important in the '80s and '90s

Residents of Tyler and Longview are lucky because their local malls still exist. While they look a bit different today than they did in the '90, the mall still stands. That's not true for other parts of Texas, including Palestine, the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and Houston. Those cities once had thriving malls, but now their buildings are a mere shell of what they used to be or are no longer standing.

Six Flags Mall and My Teenage Years

Before getting into radio, I worked at a men's clothing store in the now-defunct Six Flags Mall in Arlington, Texas, as a teenager. This mall had everything listed above, including a place called 'Safety City', where kids could ride tricycles in a miniature town that was complete with buildings, traffic signs, and a signal light.

I was one of those teenagers who spent a lot of time in the mall hanging out with friends and playing games in the arcade, and sadly, the malls I grew up with in the Dallas metroplex no longer exist - Six Flags Mall and Forum 303 Mall.

What Happened to the Palestine Mall?

I'm sure residents in the Palestine area have fond memories of The Palestine Mall on the corner of Loop 256 and Hwy. 287 and 19. The mall still stands, but it's just a shell of what it once was. The JCPenney branding is still on the mall facade, and it is now home to an education center and a VA outpatient clinic.

Online shopping has changed the way we shop these days, and many of the stores that once called the mall home are either out of business or online only.

The Texas Malls We Remember

Here's a look at some of the Texas malls that thousands of teenagers spent countless hours at during the '80s and '90s that no longer exist (DeadMalls):

• Big Town Mall: Mesquite (Dallas), TX
• Collin Creek Mall: Plano (near Dallas), TX
• Denton Factory Stores: Denton, TX
• Forum 303 Mall: Arlington, TX
• Greenspoint Mall: Houston, TX
• Highland Mall: Austin, TX
• Mall Of The Mainland: Houston, TX
• Manor East Mall: Bryan (College Station), TX
• Midway Mall: Sherman, TX
• North Hills Mall: North Richland Hills, TX
• Northwest Mall: Houston, TX
• Pasadena Town Square: Pasadena, TX
• Prestonwood Town Center: Dallas, TX
• Richardson Square Mall: Richardson, TX
• Ridgmar Mall: Fort Worth, TX
• Sharpstown Mall: Houston, TX
• Six Flags Mall: Arlington, TX
• San Jacinto Mall: Baytown, TX
• The Shops At Willow Bend: Plano, TX
• Sunrise Mall: Corpus Christi, TX
• Town & Country Mall: Houston, TX
• Valley View Mall: Dallas, TX
• Vista Ridge Mall (now Music City Mall): Lewisville, TX
• Western Plaza: Amarillo, TX
• Windsor Park Mall: San Antonio, TX

Many of these malls have since been demolished or transformed into something else. Visit DeadMalls for a history of each of the malls and what led to its demise. The memories will live on for the people who once shopped in those stores, played games in the arcade, watched movies, and hung out with friends.