Toys R Us Store Closing, Circuit City, Comp USA and more Memorial City/Bunker Hill

Village Plaza at Bunker Hill shopping center.

This Toys R Us visit did not go well. This is the first time where an employee kicked me out of a part of the store, which is why you will only see a part of the store. Some of the back of the store was barricaded, but other parts were not so how could I have known I wasn't supposed to be in the back of the store. I did not cross a single barricade to take these photos. This store opened on October 23, 2009, with 65,000 square feet of retail space and was the first "Toys R Us Superstore" location in the Houston area, click here for that Houston Chronical story. This store replaced a smaller 1990's era store across the highway which has since been demolished.

If you want to see how a similar store looked, visit my Willowbrook Toys R Us post by clicking here. The main difference is the layout of the store is flipped at Willowbrook.

The entryway glass with the R designs.

So just past this customer service desk, I walked past an unbarricaded area to the back of the store.

Here is the Babies R Us section of the store.

The back main aisle of the store.

More of the Babies R Us and Kids R Us areas of the store.

Looking from the back of the store to the front entrance.

At about the time this photo was taken, a TRU employee asked me what I was doing back here. When I told him looking at fixtures, he said I needed to be accompanied and said to go up to the front and wait for an employee to bring me to the back. I hadn't found anything worth buying so I ended my tour at this point without going to the other side of the store. I apologize for not continuing the tour. 

Another view of the entire storefront.

View of the former Toys R Us in 2021. Store split in half to accommodate Burlington and Ross. 

This isn't the only big box spot here to have turnover. The speed at which these vacancies were addressed show what a strong shopping center this is. These big box stores are sandwiched between Academy and HEB. 

This big box pad has gone through three uses since it was constructed.

Use #1 2009 Circuit City. The store was under construction and never opened as a result of the Chapter 7 liquidation of Circuit City in 2009.

Quickly after Circuit City failed, the building opened as a Comp USA. Comp USA only lasted a couple of years as their parent company decided to close all locations.

Not too long after Comp USA closed, this photo was taken.

Now the store is a very popular Nordstom Rack location. Photo taken in 2021.

More to come, stay tuned.

Circuit City Then and Now (New and updated)

Here is a quick update to a few Circuit City locations covered here on the blog. I have several large new blog posts in the works, so please be patient with me.

Circuit City on I-10 and Market

Academy renovated their store and expanded into the former Circuit City.

An up close view of where the stores were connected.

And now the store is just one big Academy, the only remaining item from the Circuit City days is the painted over road sign.

Circuit City West Oaks while it was still open.

A few months after the store closed.

A couple of years later construction started and the interior of the store was destroyed.

Now a Goody Goody Liquor store has taken up the former Circuit City.

Abandoned Houston big box stores 2014 & 2015

Here is a small collection of abandoned retail here in the Houston area. Retail development in Houston is very strong and many empty big box stores have been filled. The closing of Anna's Linens will create more empty space, but it will probably be quickly filled.

ALCO Houston Gessner Rd. Abandoned 2014, previously a 99 cent only store.

Kmart Houston Homestead Rd. closed in the 1990's. Most recently used as a flea market and abandoned in the early 2000's.

Best Buy Houston/Almeda abandoned 2008. The store closed when the Gulfgate Best Buy opened.

Target Houston/Almeda abandoned 2009. A replacement Super Target nearby on the beltway replaced this store.

Circuit City Houston/Almeda abandoned sometime in late 2005-early 2006. The Circuit City moved to a nearby shopping center and closed in 2009. Redeveloped into the Sonya clothing store, now being redeveloped into a new business possibly a warehouse. Lots of interior photos inside of the store here.

Circuit City Sugarland abandoned 2009. Most recently a Halloween Express.

As you can see most of the interior is still intact.

Circuit City Youree Drive Shreveport La

Here are one of the last remaining untouched Circuit City stores in Louisiana. This store closed in 2009 along with the chain and this store was a replacement for a store less than a mile away off the Bert Kouns Industrial Loop. The old store is listed as being built in 2000 and the Youree Drive location pictured below has a mid 2000's logo. I wonder why Circuit City moved so quickly here while several older stores stayed in terrible locations for so long? 

Here is the loopnet listing for the old building which no longer looks like an old Circuit City. 

http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/13974856/8100-Jump-Run-Road-Shreveport-LA/

Sadly this store is now, gone just a few months after I visited. The former Linen's and Things and Circuit City are now combined and will become a Conn's store. 

http://www.ksla.com/story/23712313/conns-coming-to-kings-crossing-shopping-center