Here is my 2023 update on the Northgate Mall. Following on the heels of my 2021 update, I wanted to show that the mall is still doing alright after the Covid years.
The road sign off of the Evangeline Thruway could use some refreshing as well. This is the most visible sign for the mall. Home Depot is in the left background. It would be cool to see the old scrolling message sign lit back up.
There are a few new businesses within the mall. We were here close to closing time on Saturday so several places had already packed up for the day. A new salon was at the end of this dead end corridor that once led to Montgomery Ward.
Shirt Mayne new store, I love the name. I don't know why, but my camera started acting weird. This photo and the one I took after came out blurry.
Another new store.
You just can't go wrong with the retro design of the mall.
As you can see, this part of the mall is really lively now. Even the old Foot Locker on the right is now a barber shop. You can see one of the old brand logos if you look close enough.
Sadly the old Stage store is vacant.
The old Transco is still vacant as well. Planet Fitness which shares the old Service Merchandise anchor pad with Transco only has exterior mall access.
Inside of the old Stage.
I never really paid much attention to this store, but behind the window covers is something special.
Not only are there Christmas decorations, but this was also old B-Dalton or Waldenbooks location. I got the best photos I could with the limited view through the covers. If you want to see how the Christmas decorations looked click the mall Facebook profile below.
Northgate is a mostly linear mall with this one bend to break up the path. There is an eatery that was closed on my visit, but this is as close to a food court as the mall had.
Inside of one of the former food stalls.
Here is the exterior of that food stall. Cookie Company storefront?
Inside of a nearby vacant space.
The exterior of the above space.
The old Foot Locker, now Man Cave Barber Shop. It is cool to see the old brand logos on the walls along with the black and white athletic photos.
The center court has another cluster of stores. The former Footaction was already filled up by a new store called Lone Wolf Gatherings. They have a lot of cool stones and collectables that I could see from the mall corridor. My photo of that store came out very blurry, so I didn't include it.
No Easter Bunny today!
The Real Deal takes up the former Anna's Linens space and serves as a junior anchor to the mall.
Unfortunately the exterior of the mall still needs sign work.
Ghosts of the past.
This large space could use some activity as well. Several years ago the rotten awning was torn down, but nothing has taken this space.
At least these mall entrances look nice and inviting.
The former Albertsons on the West side of the mall.
While nobody is going to confuse this place for The Galleria, it does seem that the mall management has managed to get a good number of local businesses into this mall in order to keep it viable. I can see why the old shoe logos might be attractive to a barber shop so that is a good re-use of that space. The barber shop seems to be doing okay so clearly there are people coming through this mall.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I suppose the mall is doing well enough to have Easter Bunny appearances. Well, I assume they have an Easter Bunny who comes by sometimes and that is not a fake setup for an Easter Bunny. That sounds like something the Mall of the Mainland might have tried back in the day, lol.
I wonder which retailer was in that clothing store spot with that 'Everyday Low Prices' sign. That store has probably been empty for quite some time given how faded the sign looks. It's certainly a vintage looking place. If I had to guess, I would guess that the bookstore with the Christmas decorations was a B.Dalton, but it's hard to say for sure with the store looking as bare as it is.
The Stage at this store is still kind of sticking out and the outdoor signage really needs some work. I wonder if Invincible Printing knows they put an extra 'g' at the end of Printing! It would be nice if the mall could attract at least a somewhat mainline retailer like a Burke's Outlet (I think they're fully renamed themselves as Bealls Outlet now) or even a DD's Discounts, but the mall is hanging in there better than Houston's worst-off malls.
I am hoping that they will be able to attract a junior anchor. Even if it is Ollie's that doesn't open up into the mall, it will still bring more life to the center. The mall is a hidden gem in that there are still places to shop, eat, work out, and get your hair and/or beauty needs taken care of. A grocer would be another great fit for the mall since there are not many options in the area. Sav-A-Lot or Aldi would be good since Albertsons was an expensive store and not a good fit for the area.
DeleteI bet there are a lot of cool finds inside of the mall in those old store spaces we haven't seen. Unfortunately, the old Kay Bee Toy space was painted purple, but a new business has taken over the formerly vacant space. What I find interesting is that the Acadiana Mall which is supposed to be the premier mall in the area continues to struggle. We were going to visit the mall, but they closed at 7pm on that Saturday which is terrible for business. We got there at 6:55pm and they were already locking up entrances. Looking at the recent Google reviews, Dillard's seems to be the only place with good reviews and others are commenting about the early weekend hours as well. I guess we can thank Namdar for letting the mall continue to decline. While I doubt Northgate will ever retake the spot for the top mall in town, I think it does really well for what it is.