The Shops at Willow Bend

The Shops at Willow Bend
The Shops at Willow Bend logo
A large plaza filled with sofas and chairs in front of a row of fountains and two elevator shafts. In the background is a mall corridor with the sign "Welcome to The Cafés" over it.
Center court (2013)
LocationPlano, Texas, U.S.
Address6121 W Park Boulevard (FM 544)
OpenedAugust 3, 2001 (2001-08-03)[1]
Renovated2018
ClosedAugust 31, 2026 (enclosed mall, 2 days time)[2][3]
DeveloperTaubman Centers
ManagementCentennial Real Estate
OwnerCentennial Real Estate
ArchitectJPRA Architect[4]
Stores40+
4 (2 open, 2 vacant), originally 5
Floor area1,391,000 sq ft (129,200 m2)[5]
Floors2 (3 in former Dillard's, former Macy's, and Neiman Marcus)
Parking6,900 spaces[5]
Public transit
Bus interchange DART: 239
Websitewww.shopwillowbend.com

The Shops at Willow Bend, informally Willow Bend Mall, is a shopping mall in Plano, Texas. The mall is located at the intersection of West Park Boulevard (FM 544) and Dallas North Tollway in western Plano, approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) north of President George Bush Turnpike.

Willow Bend is the last enclosed shopping mall built in the state of Texas, opening in 2001 as an upscale shopping center. The mall struggled throughout its life due to economic recessions, poor occupancy rates, and heavy competition with the nearby Galleria Dallas, Legacy West and Stonebriar Centre.[6] As of May 2026, most of the mall is set to be demolished for a mixed-use redevelopment project, dubbed The Bend, that will feature retail, residential, and office space, as well as a potential arena for the Dallas Stars hockey team.[7]

History

Opening

A large carpeted court with chairs and sofas. Behind the court is an escalator, and to the right are a decorative fountain and two glass-back elevators.
Center court viewed from second floor (2020)

The Shops at Willow Bend was a $200 million project developed by Taubman Centers,[1] which was highly selective in accepting tenants. Despite being designed with over 1.5 million square feet (140,000 m2) of space, management originally limited the mall to upscale stores which would appeal to an affluent clientele.

The mall opened on August 3, 2001, with about 70% occupancy. An estimated 250,000 visitors showed up to the mall during its opening weekend.[1] The mall was anchored by Foley's (later Macy's), Dillard's, Lord & Taylor, and Neiman Marcus, with the latter two serving as replacements for stores at the nearby Prestonwood Town Center. A fifth anchor, Saks Fifth Avenue, planned to open in 2003.[8]

Early years

Willow Bend faced several challenges from the beginning. The mall opened shortly before the September 11 attacks, which caused nationwide retail sales to slow considerably, as well as the dot-com-fueled collapse of the Telecom Corridor, which had been one of the wealthier parts of Willow Bend's trade area. The mall also suffered from heavy competition due to its location on Dallas North Tollway: Galleria Dallas, located 7 miles (11 km) south, was an established upscale mall with its own set of high-end tenants, while Stonebriar Centre, located 6 miles (9.7 km) north, offered a wider selection of shops and amenities, including mid-range shops.[1]

In 2003, Lord & Taylor was closed when the chain exited the North Texas market;[8] its store building would go on to be demolished. Saks Fifth Avenue would open in 2004, one year after its planned date.[8]

In August 2010, Saks Fifth Avenue announced it would shutter its Willow Bend store in favor of its store at Galleria Dallas.[8] In 2011, Crate & Barrel opened in a new building on the former Lord & Taylor anchor pad. Unlike Lord & Taylor's original store, Crate & Barrel did not directly connect to the mall's interior.

Early renovation plans

In 2014, the mall was sold as part of a 7-property package to Starwood Capital Group for approximately $1.4 billion.[9] The following year, Starwood announced a $100 million renovation to the mall, which would add an office tower, a hotel, and a restaurant district in place of the Saks Fifth Avenue pad. Starwood stated that the renovation was intended to broaden the mall's target market beyond luxury shoppers.[10]

In June 2017, Legacy West, an upscale open-air mixed-use development, opened 4.4 miles (7.08 km) north of the mall, increasing competition for high-end retail and shoppers. Stores such as J. Crew and Louis Vuitton eventually relocated their former Willow Bend stores there.

In March 2018, the 60,000-square-foot Crayola Experience opened between Macy's and the food court.[11] Additionally, the first phase of the renovation, an open-air restaurant district named The District at Willow Bend, opened in October 2018.[12] The next planned phase would include a 10-screen Cinépolis theater, an Equinox fitness club, and an office tower.[12]

In March 2019, Apple announced the closure of Apple Stores at Willow Bend and Stonebriar Centre, allegedly to reduce the risk of patent trolling in the lawsuit-friendly Eastern District Court of Texas.[13] The stores permanently closed in April, with a new store at Galleria Dallas serving as a replacement.

In March 2020, Starwood Retail lost ownership of the mall due to being unable to refinance a $135.7 million loan. The mall was transferred to its lender and placed under the management of property manager Trigild. All redevelopment work was immediately stopped, including the movie theatre, which was 85% complete. Plans for other components of the redevelopment, such as an office tower and boutique hotel, were abandoned, and the movie theatre was never completed.[14][15]

Redevelopment and closure

The second level of a mall corridor. No storefronts along either side are open.
Vacant upper level of former Macy's concourse (2025)

In May 2022, the mall was purchased by Centennial Real Estate, which planned to redevelop the mall into a mixed-use development, with financial backing from Cawley Partners and Waterfall Asset Management.[6] Redevelopment plans were announced in April 2023. Under the proposal, dubbed The Bend, the Dillard's wing of the mall would be demolished and replaced with an open-air shopping center, a 7-story office building, and three apartment complexes totaling 960 units. Construction would start in 2025.[16]

In January 2025, Macy's announced that its Willow Bend location would close on March 23.[17] Following the announcement, Centennial updated their plans to demolish the Macy's wing instead of Dillard's. The updated plans were approved by Plano city council in February.[18]

In September, Saks Global announced its plans to close the Neiman Marcus store in January 2027.[19] Two months later, Dillard's announced its plans to close in January 2026.[20] On February 7, 2026, Crayola Experience was temporarily closed due to delinquent rent. The attraction re-opened on February 28 but closed permanently on March 8.[21]

In February 2026, Fox 4 News reported that the City of Plano had been in discussions with the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL) to build a new arena at The Bend as part of the redevelopment.[22] In March 2026, Centennial revised its plans again to demolish the entire mall interior, leaving only Equinox, Crate & Barrel, The District, and the mall's parking structures. Demolition is expected to begin within the next 12 months, and tenants inside the mall have been given notices to vacate their spaces in preparation for redevelopment.[7] In June 2026, the Plano City Council approved development plans for a new arena for the Stars.[23]

By the end of August 2026, most of the mall's remaining tenants were required to vacate, and portions of the property were scheduled to transition to redevelopment beginning September 1.[24][25]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Preisendorf, Matilda (February 6, 2025). "Bad Luck From The Start: Why The Shops At Willow Bend Failed". Local Profile.
  2. ↑ Gupta, Aayush (August 4, 2026). "Willow Bend mall's end in sight ahead of Stars arena redevelopment". Dallas Business Journal. Retrieved August 24, 2026.
  3. ↑ Womack, Brian (August 5, 2026). "Willow Bend to shrink for 'next phase' ahead of planned Dallas Stars redevelopment". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Retrieved August 24, 2026.
  4. ↑ "2002 SADI Awards: The Shops At Willow Bend". Superior Achievement in Design & Imaging. Archived from the original on August 25, 2002. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  5. 1 2 "Leasing: The Shops at Willow Bend". Taubman Centers. Archived from the original on January 1, 2007.
  6. 1 2 Halkias, Maria (May 4, 2022). "Plano's Shops at Willow Bend has new owners who say 'it was too big the day it opened'". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  7. 1 2 Wooten, Nick (March 25, 2026). "Willow Bend mall demolition to start within next year as Stars arena talks continue". The Dallas Morning News. Hearst Communications. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Halkias, Maria (August 17, 2010). "Saks to close Shops at Willow Bend store on Saturday". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation.
  9. ↑ Carlisle, Candace (June 18, 2014). "The Shops at Willow Bend in Plano sells to Starwood". Dallas Business Journal. American City Business Journals.
  10. ↑ Halkias, Maria (October 20, 2015). "Plano's Shops at Willow Bend getting a $100 million redo: hotel, office tower, entertainment". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
  11. ↑ "The Colorful Crayola Experience Opens in Plano". Visit Plano. City of Plano. March 15, 2018. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  12. 1 2 Sakelaris, Nicholas (September 24, 2018). "Reinventing Willow Bend, CEO of Starwood Retail reveals $125 million plan". Local Profile. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Why did Apple abandon Frisco? We can tell you in two words". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. March 4, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  14. ↑ Halkias, Maria (April 27, 2020). "Plano's Shops at Willow Bend is no longer owned by Starwood Retail". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  15. ↑ Salchert, Ryan (March 17, 2020). "Source: Starwood to close job site at Willow Bend; contractors owed $3.5M". Dallas Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  16. ↑ Halkias, Maria (April 10, 2023). "Plano gets details of long-awaited overhaul of Shops at Willow Bend mall". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  17. ↑ Tyko, Kelly (January 9, 2025). "Macy's closing 66 more stores in 2025. See the closure list". Axios. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
  18. ↑ Crouchley, Michael (February 24, 2025). "Plano council approves updated Willow Bend Mall redevelopment plan". Community Impact. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Neiman Marcus to close store at Willow Bend in Plano after 25 years". CultureMap Dallas. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  20. ↑ Womack, Brian (November 11, 2025). "Dillard's at Plano's Willow Bend closing amid Dallas Stars speculation". The Dallas Morning News. Hearst Communications. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  21. ↑ Womack, Brian (February 9, 2026). "Crayola 'temporarily' closes in Plano after lockout notice amid Dallas Stars speculation". The Dallas Morning News. Hearst Communications. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  22. ↑ May, Payton (February 27, 2026). "Dallas Stars to Plano? What we know about the Willow Bend Mall arena proposal". Fox 4 News (KDFW). Fox Television Stations. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  23. ↑ Rial, Bradley (June 9, 2026). "Plano advances plans for Dallas Stars arena".
  24. ↑ Gupta, Aayush (August 4, 2026). "Willow Bend mall's end in sight ahead of Stars arena redevelopment". Dallas Business Journal. Retrieved August 24, 2026.
  25. ↑ Womack, Brian (August 5, 2026). "Willow Bend to shrink for 'next phase' ahead of planned Dallas Stars redevelopment". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Retrieved August 24, 2026.
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