Dead Malls Season 6 Episode 3 - West Oaks Mall (TX)
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- Опубліковано 29 сер 2024
- While down in H-town for the first time in December of 2022, one of the many malls we were visiting for the first time was the western suburbs West Oaks Mall. And while in subsequent trips I would return to all the others for more footage.. West Oaks was the one mall I couldn’t see again. As just months after visiting it would close for good.. West Oaks was the cities great suburban expirement, with developers Foleys and JMB Realty trying to create a modern high end shopping center that would catch the cities spontaneous sprawl. While so many relatively new malls like Greenspoint and Willowbrook were already in the shadow of blight, West Oaks hoped to change its fate before it was even built. And look where that got us today, yet another now completely abandoned mall waiting for a future.. How did it get like this? Join me tonight as we finish out our first season saga with the Houston Expedition. Join me as we tell the story of, explore, and see West Oaks Mall in its final few months..
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Man. West Oaks was the hang out in the mid 90s. Everyone from Alief and beyond would regular this place. Brings back memories.
Before Katy mills was even a thing
That arcade right across from the theater, good times
@@percypringles4163 That EB Games that was dark as a cave in the food court.
@@brickkpunchley yes! Tucked away in that corner. I used to live hitting that up and the KB Toys on the other side
I went to Hastings High, this mall was our stomping ground in the early 90s. So many memories!
I was there for the grand opening in 84 and spent way too much time there as a kid and teen. My high school girlfriend worked at Treasure Gallery and entered and won a foot beauty contest! She did have beautiful feet! We saw movies, ate at the food court and socialized there. I cannot agree with everything this person says about the history and there was not a two level food court, but for the most part he was right with most of his info. Until about 2008 or so it was still thriving, but from 84 to about 95 was at it's most successful. Before it was built I used to go 4 wheeling with my much older neighbor who had a Baja Bug. Good times!
Oh have the mighty fallen. I used to work there! I remember BEGGING for a job almost every week at Electronics Boutique and they finally gave me a shot. A few months later it tuned into GameStop. The mall used to be FULL of traffic especially on a weekend. It feels eerie seeing it like this 😵💫
I remember EB! One of my fav stores to go to in the mall. Got the PS2 there. Good memories and sad to see it go.
You can thank crime and the Indians for this for ruining the mall and making it ghetto when in fact it wasn’t :: they even had that badass shoe store at the end. West oaks was the shit back in the day fr.
RIP Alamo Drafthouse West Oaks Mall....holy frick such a great venue.....really loved Anime at the Alamo there back in the day circa 2004 thru 2009-ish
I miss it (and ADV) so much
Good times, found some of my fave shows there
Last movie I saw Alamo Draft House at WO was Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. I actually went to Middle and HS with the owner’s son. That theatre was the trailblazer for all theaters that have come since.
I got into the Troma movies on Troma Tuesdays. Alamo being bought by Sony Pictures is going to ruin the Grindhouse feel of how it used to feel.
Oh I remember the old Mervyns's. That's where I used to get my new schools clothes during the summer before school started
when mcdonalds and the alamo movie theather left i knew west oaks mall was in trouble. lots of good memories working there in 2009.
Alamo left because Regal was moving in.
As recently as the 2000s, I think even early 2010s this mall was going strong. Amazing that it's like this now.
I remember going to the mall in 2001 and it was okay then but the foot traffic was low yet it was mostly occupied.
I remember going there in 2015 and I saw it wasn’t gonna last past 2020 as it was half occupied. My last visit was 2019 and it was already dying.
OMG, This was MY MALL as I lived very close & my husband worked at THE SHELL Westhollow complex across HYW 6. I am glad to know WHY & HOW it failed. I moved west of the area 24 years ago & would go there on occasion until I became FEARFUL of going INSIDE. Thank You for this story.
How and why did it fail?
@@chezbut In a nutshell it failed because of road access & proper development.
Sadly, the whole area has failed. Alot of the surrounding neighborhoods are rough now. The only business I see running on the regular now is a motorcycle training school and a pop up carnival; both in the parking lot of the mall.
@@shawnd482 Exactly, I have lived in Fulshear for the last 24 years. My husband worked at Shell Westhollow on Hwy 6. From the beginning the area never developed as it could have & I recently learned due to road development. That area was slated to be what they were to call Galleria II. I won't even drive through there now. It looks crime ridden & totally run into the ground. That area is where I began my life after relocating from the northeast as a young married person in 1979. When I moved to Fulshear I sold my house for 10K less than I paid for it after a redo. SO SAD!
@@chezbut the crowd got ghetto and people stopped coming
Spent so much time here as a kid/teen. The arcade that was across from the theater was incredible.
Seeing you cover this mall after going there myself was the most surreal feeling. Like after seeing the mall in it's ghostly abandoned yet pristine state, seeing you open those doors for one last time and tell it's story was the best thing to see tonight! 👏
Thanks for watching!
Apparently it’s still open
@@MnemonicHeadTripI think that’s only the Crazy Boss though, from what I remember. The rest of the mall has been closed off ):
@@CirqueDeNoctem That's really sad, I'm probably gonna have a look around the city to check out all of the dead malls soon so I can investigate for myself. Do you know of any other good ones that are mostly open?
@MnemonicHeadTrip Unfortunately, West Oaks is the only one I personally know of or have been able to visit myself. But as a person who's drawn to these types of empty spaces, I'm hoping to discover any other options in Texas through this channel or anyone else that may have found something.
Dec 5th 1994 West Oaks Mall had a meet and greet with the power Rangers where children could meet the actors and get autographs. There is actual footage from that day on UA-cam that's easy to find. The amount of children there was astonishing. For anyone who knows that mall around that time the meet and greet was just across from where the JC PENNY was
just found the video on YT, definitely cool to see the old layout and popularity the mall had. Being born in '98 I remember this mall very vividly till about '04 when my when my family moved to Katy. Makes sense Katy Mills kind of Axed West Oaks and just the overall decline in surrounding area as the years went buy. I even remember the original Disney Store at West Oaks
I was there for that!
Yes! I got an autograph with Thuy Trang! If i remember correctly she was wearing all black, possibly a catsuit or matching shirt and pants, and she was sitting on a table!
@steveng2896 one of the Power Rangers committed suicide recently.
My high school friends and I made West Oaks "our" mall when it first opened. The renovation to a ranch theme has left it unrecognizable. We watched movies at West Oaks, ate dinner at Birra-Poretti's, and shopped at stores like The Limited and Benetton. The boys always wanted to go to Babbage's and check out the software offerings, such as they were in '84 and '85. It was very much the Galleria of the west side of town in those early days, and even when we had little money to spend, which was the norm for us middle class kids, we liked to soak up the vibe of all those aspirational consumer goods!
" A great Italian Restaurant...A heck of an Irish bar"
Remember the woodwork in that place? That bar was something else!
There's still one left in Houston down town though. Even the one on West Gray is closed now.
Was that Elsik or Hastings?
BirraPoretti's was awesome!
So many good memories at this mall. My mom took me there right after it opened. The Foley's had a restaurant on the 2nd floor and we had lunch there. I also was on the teen board at West Oaks. We did fashion shows in front of the Palais Royal. We also used to hang out there as teenagers in the early 90's. There used to be a Birra Poretti's down by Mervin's that we'd go to for dinner, and the food court had Chick-fil-a, Cinnabon, a pizza shop, and a baked potato place. Of course, it was Gloria Jean's for coffee. I could still recognize some of the store fronts even though they've been rebranded over the years. The last time I was there was probably around 1999 or 2000, before I moved away.
Growing up in Mission Bend and Alief this was the Mall to go to and work at! I worked at soundwaves and Chic fil a and knew everyone at this Mall. We all traded food for free movies. It was amazing.
There used to be a Foleys in the very beginning also. Mervyns was the place we got school clothes. If you wanted a fancy dinner to impress your friends or girlfriend Birra -Porettis was the place to go!!
I'm sure there are places that still smell like cloves cigarettes' too. So many memories here!!!! My Father worked at Texas in Bellaire so i remember very clearly the oil Boom like it was yesterday. The empty fields all around the mall was crazy and so vacant. It really shot down the Dreams of the area and forever changed the landscape.
Thank you for this video and the memories .
I used to ride my bike up to West Oaks with my buddies all the time from Mission Bend South. I remember riding up there to buy my first pair of Oakleys from Sunglass Hut.
Wow, Soundwaves! I haven't heard that name in a LONNNGGG time. I loved that store back in the day.
8 Years ago, my friends and I rode a lap through the mall on our bikes. Nobody stopped us of course. It didn't mean all that much to the few people there but it was a special moment for me.
my childhood mall 😢
Growing up in Houston, I lived approximately halfway between Willowbrook Mall and Northwest Mall. Although I may have spent more time at those two, my favorite mall was West Oaks.
Mine too bud.
Mine too. My family moved to Mission Bend in 1987. My mom still lives there.
I'm surprised Almeda is still limping along. I call it the "mall of the living dead"
Is still open? Ima go check it out this weekend! Find me some goods I love ghetto places
It is but I give it probably 10-15 years before it becomes like West Oaks Mall.
I could have sworn they tore it down
@@weekendnomad5038 well mate you sworn wrong
December and just Christmas time in general was so special and beautiful here I remember how lit up it was as a kid
This place was the place to be in the 90’s. Every weekend after school I’d hang out here w my brother and see all my friends up there too. So many good stores and even the Alamo DraftHouse Cinema. I saw Titanic here! The food court was so nice and cozy and always full of people. The arcade had soo many good games including Silent Scope😂
Sadly as the crime increased in Alief, West Oaks main customers moved away. Southwest Houston is not the same it used to be in the 80’s and 90’s. Too many ppl moved to that part of town and , well, most of them now aren’t, let’s just say, “model citizens”.
RIP Westoaks Mall. You helped make my childhood.
I remember the NUTCRACKER decor at Christmas time where Santa would visit with the children...it was so cool!
You remember it also?
Sears was my first job, 2000. I live 5 minutes away and haven’t stepped foot in there in years!
I moved here in 2000. I always felt like that Shell location was out of place. This was very insightful. Thank you.
this was my childhood mall. i got my ears pierced at the claires there. the woman who styled my moms hair on her wedding day, and gave me every single haircut i ever had until i was 16, worked at the visible changes that yall walked past at the beginning (she owns her own salon now in katy). i have so many memories of hanging out with my friends, movie hopping at the edwards theater, walking to the mall from my house. there used to be a super cool disney store too. good times! thanks for preserving this mall for us!
At 3:34 is Structure! Structure was a men’s clothing store before they merged with Express.
That was my favorite store in my local mall back in the 90's...I still have a watch from Structure I got as a gift back then.
LOL, when i was flush with part time job money I got my "club clothes" from there.
Omg! totally forgot about this store!
This was THE mall to hang out in the 80's. This brought back so many memories.
I lived not even 3 miles from here my entire life until i left for college in 2016. This area used to be the edge of the city with cow pastures and empty fields and now every nook has been filled with 5 story apartment buildings and is now probably 30 minutes from the edge of the city. I agree other malls in the area contributed to West Oaks' decline but those are all about 20 minutes away. The big thing this video leaves out is that (in my experience) the mall just became a little too ghetto. We used to go there all the time to do our shopping and get family photos but over the years there were more and more crowds of people you didn't really want your nice suburban family to be around. One of my last memories there was of my older sister shielding me as a large group of thieves went sprinting past us running from the police. So really it wasn't that other malls pulled people away as much as people were pushed away and it made driving 10 more minutes to a slightly more affluent area worth it.
Finally someone telling the truth. Its all about crime and “urban sprawl”
Facts. I grew up in Alief and this was one of the closest malls to go to back in the late 90s early 2000s. It deff got too ghetto. Sad to see that area getting worse and worse. I grew up in that areea as well as going to Sharpstown Mall when it was a family mall and it was packed! That whole area was such a great area to live in back in the day. Super sad to see it go to crap. I drove by there the other day to see how it looked (my old apartments and westhiemer etc) and it was depressing. Family area once now ghetto gang banging meth heads. ANYWHO, I have great memories growing up around there and ill always remember the good times.
What a trip! A lot of my younger days was spent in those walls. That "image nails" that had all the food court tables and chairs in it used to be a Hot Topic. That fireplace in the center of the food court was such a weird idea lol. I wish i could remember what it used to look like before its remodel in the early 2000s.
Even the last time i went there with my girlfriend at the time, almost 14 years ago now, it was dead. Amazed to see it's still there every time i drive by it to visit my folks.
I remember it because a kid bought a pet rat from the pet store and while waiting for his parents the rat bit him and he was wiping blood on the tile. It was raised ramp section in the middle, with a raised eating section. Cream/White tile.
Katy Mills Mall directly led to the downfall of West Oaks Mall. Growing up in Mission Bend we always went to West Oaks for shopping, once Katy Mills opened with the latest and greatest, it spelled the doom of West Oaks.
First Colony also led to West Oaks downfall. It killed Westwood and Sharpstown first.
Man this and First Colony Mall was my spot every weekend! I still pass by on my way to various family members’ homes.
The first colony mall area is unrecognizable compared to those days. Walking from the mall to the AMC 24 was a straight shot. Those were the days.
I love the design, look, and feel of this mall. Far superior to the tacky 1990s/early 2000s style malls. This must have been a beautiful mall at its height.
I have lived in nearby Mission Bend since 1998 and have seen this mall change over the years. It truly is a stark difference between now and then. It was once a bustling place, with a lot of great stores and the food court was so packed and loud you could never hear yourself or others at your table talking. It truly is sad to see that this place is no longer open, and only seems to attract meth heads in the parking lot. The only operating business in the interior core of the mall is a travel agency that is open at the edge of the only remaining entrance near the movie theater. A makeshift wall was put up to keep people from going any further into the mall. Redevelopment needs to happen here soon because the place is rotting and is doing nothing for the area except attracting druggies to the parking lot.
Hey I used to skateboard over there by Mission Bend between 2001 and 2003! We always skated that Walgreens where the old Chili’s used to be. And we also skated that bank until they put a fence up around because one day a large group af skateboarders got in a fight w a bunch of black kids 😂
@@Flokiabob311 I've been into the bank property a few years ago. A construction company opened up there for awhile and they were my client. I still live in Mission Bend, and the area has declined since then.
@@christiangonzales7429 yeah, pretty much all sw houston has gotten pretty bad now
Managed a few shops here in the early 2000s(yalls tx store, carlton cards). Frequented it a lot as an Alief kid. Memory lane shit here.... sad them days are long gone
I’m surprised these dead malls have their doors unlocked with nothing opened inside. It’s still sad to see what has happened to these malls.
Great video. 👍
It’s quite the sad sight to see indeed.. thanks for watching!
The ones that stay opened and at least somewhat maintained do far better than the ones that are locked up. Those are the malls that get broken into and smashed apart. The malls that keep the lights on at least serve some purpose to their community and are shown a modicum of respect.
Better to have it open then have it fall into crime and be abandoned.
for mall walkers & exercise
West Oaks was a fun mall. Full of memories for me. Sad it has declined like so many malls. It was great back in the day.
My friend’s family owned land close to that mall that got bought by developers. They had a full on ranch out there. It was the boonies back when it was built, now it’s all part of the giant sprawl that is Houston
I was a weekly patron of the West Oaks Alamo Drafthouse during it's run there. $5 pizzas and $2 drafts, it was awesome.
My Fav. place there was Biaproetti's. The wood work at the bar and the rest of the restaurant was just amazing! The food was wonderful. I think there's just one more Biaproetti's left now down town, after this one closed and the one on West Gray Street shut down too. "A great Italian Restaurant...A heck of an Irish bar"
I used to live in Bear Creek, and went there many times. Then Bear Creek went to hell, so many times the story.....
The downtown location lives on!
Man, I haven't seen that mall in ages. I remember the Mervyn's. I used to park there to bike out to Fulsher back in the mid 2000's.
I grew up in Alief and this was my primary mall to hang out at as a teenager in the 90’s. It was always busy in those days around 1990 to 1996. But going into the late 90’s I could tell it was on the decline and pretty sure Katy Mills finished it off.
First Colony killed Westwood first, Sharpstown second, and then much later, West Oaks. Katy Mills opening didn't help West Oaks' matters either.
I was here when it got hit by a tornado, blew all the doors open and glass everywhere. We went to sears and busted open a set of pool equipment and sat it out. My parents mini van looked like it went through a rock tumbler.
Haven't been there since the late 90s I live a few miles down the road it's a shame that it's no longer a hang out we had lots of fun there. Now everyone goes to the galleria and Memorial city I prefer to Galleria, because the stores and employees in the mall are much friendlier and welcoming, then memorial city.
I used to go to an AA meeting at this mall.
I remember going to this Mall on many occasions back in the early 2000s the mall was still thriving. One of my earliest memories was around 2002, my dad took me there to buy a new ps1 game and I was estatic. The Sears was also a great place to shop before they closed. The last time I went there it felt so empty and a shell of its former self. Maybe one day before its closed for good I want to see it one more time as a trip down memory lane.
Bought my first Tamagotchi at that mall. I remember my Mom used to take me and my brother there on Friday afternoons for dinner (when we were good). It was a highlight of my week. 😂
I used to work here from 2008 to 2017. I've seen, experienced, witnessed and took part on many things happening at this mall I could write a book if I wanted, haha. The really disappointing thing was seeing the wind down immediately the first day I started working there.
I lived literally 3 blocks from this Mall from 2004-2015. And lived in West Houston until 2021. I watched this Mall completely fall apart.
Thanks for the mention! Such a minor mall as PTS deserved that last bit of love. Seeing a place I always used to hang out at like that was rather heartbreaking. Thanks for visiting Houston! The retail bubble bit this place hard, so the crash hit harder. Luckily the scraps of it left some beautiful places.
West Oaks is really pretty and always appreciated it's aesthetic! Just a shame it never turned it around.
The Dillard’s Outlet is amazing there. We still go on occasion for all the crazy deals.
As a kid living in Spring Branch in the 80's, we visited Memorial City and Town & Country the most often. We also frequently visited Northwest Mall. A drive to West Oaks, Willowbrook, or Sharpstown was a special event, being longer drives. I think we went to Greenspoint once. Locally, it was affectionately nicknamed "Gunspoint" due to crime in the area. Fun times.
in the mid to late 80's that was my hangout spot. I grew up in Sugar Land nearby and I was there quite often. I remember seeing many movies at the old movie theater and then playing games at the arcade right across from there. Aliens is the main movie i remember. Then there was the old Sound Warehouse where I bought many many many cassette tapes and albums and then there was KB Toys.
Thank you for documenting this mall. I used to live nearby and walk through and watch the dying in real time. Even when the Sears and Macy’s were open in 2016, I don’t recall the mall being extremely busy.
By 2016, the mall was already dead.
The music is so beautiful. 🎶🎶 Keep up the GREAT work. 🐯 I LOVE ABANDONED MALLS.🤎
I used to work at West Oaks Mall.
Westheimer @ Hwy 6. Very popular and very busy.
Thank you, love Camellia and Amythyst 😊😊❤❤
There's nothing like seeing those vintage color photos from inside the mall with all of those shops teeming with life - people, activity, and business. It's like a wistful dream, compared to the emptiness of what remains.
Speaking of things that are not what they once were - that white building with the vertical dark windows in the background at 21:39 used to be the Houston Post newspaper building - back when Houston had 2 major newspapers.
I lived near there in 1992 and would visit there for the food court. It was kind of dead THEN. At least compared to Memorial City
IIRC, this mall was meant to draw upper professional and affluent customers from nearby Memorial Drive. At the time, the older mall Memorial City was in decline, and the newer Town & Country Mall was competing for those same customers. The economy in Houston wasn't great in those days, and the Savings and Loan crisis in Texas was about to heat up. There just wasn't enough money to support both higher end malls. Also nearby and with easy access to West Oaks were the established neighborhoods of Alief and a newer development called Mission Bend. These were definitely middle class, and Mission Bend in particular was showing signs of economic stress in the 90s. I think the pivot to those customers occurred too late... the only anchor really serving them at launch was Mervyn's. The mall never really boomed, but I do have some good memories. The theater was in a good location and was successful during a time when other theaters in the area were converting to dollar cinemas. Across the hall was a video arcade. There were two computer software stores (sort of a precursor to Gamestop). I think they even had a Chick fil a, before that chain went viral.... or am I imagining that part?
Yep. Also had a great game room (when those were a thing) and great food court. Brother’s Pizza was one of my favorites.
@user-ce6ow7ms4i thankfully brother's pizza moved down the road near the I10. Still delicious!
Yep, we went there all the time before First Colony Mall opened. Loved the fountains and greenery. They had one of the few Chick-fil-As in Houston until the late-ish 90s? Like 1995-1997? That's when I think we started seeing them pop up more. Definitely the first place I had Chick-fil-A as a kid.
@@user-ce6ow7ms4i I still go to the Brother's Pizza on Hwy 6 occasionally.
For years this was one of my favorite malls for many years. It was very clean and had a great variety of stores. I liked the architecture too. I went by it around 6 or 7 years ago and it was already near the end. Watching this video, it looks like a sci-fi video. It seems to be in such incredible shape. It is like customers were here and then, mysteriously vanished. How weird... how very sad.
In the late 80's I worked riight down Hwy 6 at Shell's research center. Ran errands and had lunch at West Oaks often. It really was booming back then.
Birraporettis, Visible Changes, Units, Brothers Pizza, Trax, Structure...not to mention Fame City down the road
Fame City is a name I haven’t heard in years. Forgot all about that place!
@@docneuro4500 The Funplex on Beechnut?
@@christiangonzales7429Yep, that’s the one. Originally called Fame City.
Wow! Used to drive by West Oaks Mall at Hwy 6 and Westheimer every day on my way to work. My wife shopped there a lot 20+ years ago when my kids were young. Sad to see it so deserted now.
Such a place to not only shop, but to hang out 👍👍 80s-Early 00s, I wished to have grow up at those times bc I was born 2002 in the wrong times
10:48
Used to shop there (1988-early 2000s); didn’t know it closed. Was speaking of West Oaks last week.
Haven't been to this mall in years - probably not since around 2015, but I remember going there frequently in the early 2010's when my son was a toddler and we owned a home near by. He played in the plastic tree area many times. For me, the best part of the mall was the Alamo Drafthouse. Didn't go there much after they left the mall. Seems like that area has continued to go downhill. Today, I was in the Best Buy shopping center next to the mall and there were several homeless people pushing around carts and a homeless guy peeing in front of the shopping center as I was waiting at the stoplight. There were no homeless people when I initially moved to that area in the early 2000's.
I actually live close to this mall and it's quite heartbreaking what it has become.
My earliest memory was in the early 90's, when my mom and I walked down a long, white hallway (a back way) into the mall's interior to see my dad, who was in the jewelry business for a few years.
Then my fondest memories occurred in the early 2000's. My mom and I went to the mall several times to hang out, enjoy some food, and do some shopping together. We even went to one of those "ready to paint ceramics" stores on a few occasions; I still have my painted figurines from there. I only went to the Alamo Drafthouse once when the third Star Wars film was released in 2005. Despite the mall's downfall at the time, I do remember there being quite a decent crowd and a lot of the smaller stores were open.
In recent years, the only times I ever returned to the mall was to catch some Pokemon there on Pokemon Go. I haven't played the game in months, but I won't doubt if that single gym and the few pokestops are still present, even though the entities that the gym and one pokestop represented no longer exist. I have sentimental thoughts of being at the mall during the Eevee and the Oshawott community days back in 2021. I got my hundo Glaceon to level 50 when I caught enough Eevees to earn mega candy, and I evolved a lot of good Eevees so they can have their legacy moves. That one experience was quite fun, regardless of how isolated I was at the food court.
At times when I attended the Memorial City Mall myself to play Pokemon Go, the amount of gyms and pokestops there was night and day compared to West Oaks. No doubt about it.
My first management job at Journeys was here at this mall... Really weird feeling seeing this pop up on my feed. That was a decade ago
I had a girl who was working there hit on me when I was buying a pair of Airwalks there back in 96. I was too stupid to know it until I walked out of the store and was too scared to go back in and talk to her.
Sharpstown in Westwood Mall were my go to since they were closer and those have been shut down 20+ years at this point
If you haven't already...next time you come to Houston you should check out Northwest Mall....even though it is already dead.
I spent a lot of time at this mall - it was the easiest to get to from where I lived and it was pretty and had lots of wonderful shops. I was one of those 80s mall rats that loved going to the various malls for different stores: Sharpstown for Dream Merchants, West WOOD (which died out long before the others and was converted into an office building), and West OAKS, where I could always find something at Express.
In high school friends and I used to eat at the big restaurant there Birra Poretti's. When I got married, I practically haunted the Crabtree and Evelyn store. Hubby and I bought lots of the flavored coffee beans at that one store by the food court. You could smell it from around the corner.
I think by split level the narrator means that in the 70s and 80s there was a raised part in the food court area that you accessed by long ramps. It wasnt very high off the main floor but it did give you a feeling of separation from the rest of the bustle going on around you.
Ive watched its decline in the last couple of decades with a lot of sadness. Future generations will never know just what a fun place a mall could be and how it brought you in direct contact with people from other places. They were market places that gave everyone a sense of community and I think we really need that these days.
So many memories! I remember Mervyns and f.y.e The 90's.
I live a few neighborhoods down the st from it, one that was built in the 80s. It was fascinating to hear the history of the development in the area
Nice slow down or (chopped mix) Paul Hardcastle jazz music!
Yea sir the untold story
I grew up in this mall, my mom would do my school shopping at mervyns, and later I worked in three different stores at the mall, and my friend and neighbor worked at the Steve & Berrys right before he passed away. So many movies I watched at the Alamo Theatre, just many memories engrained in my mind.
Oh wow, I worked at Babbages in West Oaks 1993-95. Spent a lot of time there back in the day.
Perhaps you sold me my PS1 on the morning of 9/9/95, I was 3rd in line. 😊 Those were the days.
I used to buy many video games and CDs at this mall, first movie theater I watched with my brother.
I remember playing on that tree playground when I was a little kid!!! Although we didn’t go there all that often, it was my favorite “play place” growing up because I loved the tree😊
In the 90’s this was one of the spots to be. If you wasn’t @ sharps town or gulf gate , you were here💯
I grew up in mission bend. That mall was awesome in the 80’s.
Same here but in the 90s. Still live in Mission Bend to this day.
Was a tween growing up going here with my mommy. I miss those simpler times
I remember working at the Paul Harris store in 1984-1985. It was a beautiful mall and a great place to work!
I moved to Houston in 1975, West Oaks Mall was the happening place. I use to go to there to theater on weekends. Sadly, by the mid 90s things started to change. I remember the day that we stopped going to it. It was close to Christmas and we were out shopping at the mall like we always do when we headed to our car. Some poor lady was attack in the parking lot, shot, and killed. Real shame, I loved that mall.
West Oaks mall was not opened until 1984. You may have moved to Houston in 75, but you did not go there. Sharpstown, Memorial, Westwood or the other mall near Memorial were open around that time.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 catching folks in LIES @@hubriswonk
I remember going to this mall with my mom and my grandmother in the late 80's or early 90's. It's so sad how the majority of malls are now like this. :(
My wife used to work here, at the time it was bustling. On Fridays and Saturdays there would be car meets and racing close by goodtimes.
So many memories from back in the day- mid 80’s to mid 90’s. It was pretty upscale when it first opened with Sacks 5th Avenue, Lord and Taylor, and other high end stores. Got my hair cut at the Visible Changes there for years. Saw so many movies at the theater. My girlfriend worked at Contempo. Bought my very first CD at the Sound Warehouse. LOL. Lots of fun.
Enjoyed the video! Seared to perfection
Thanks!
I played my first pokemon tcg game at 11 visiting a family friend in the back of the game store and my very first Dothack enemy card unofficial tournament there at 14 in a room in the arcade with 20 other kids. It's so creepy to see it like this.
Lots of people confusing West Oaks with Westwood.
Yup. Westwood on Bissonette. Went downhill faster. Good ol days
Westwood mall had a carousel 🎠 in the middle of it.
I get them confused!
@@missladyanonymity The carousel was in a music video by a country singer. I don't recall who it was.
Dude The Oldest View is SO GOOD. Can’t wait for part 5! Unnamed Shopping Muzak is amazing!
It’s great that you use vaporwave as music for your videos, I love it so much
We lived in Katy, grew up shopping at this mall. We used to go to the mall theater often as well. Fond memories of my teen years here (1980s/early 90s)
So good so far!
Used to work at the Sears there some years ago, I really liked the vibe the mall had. Gave me early 00's.
Man, this one hit. My first job was in the Sears at Westoaks in the late 90's. I spent every weekend there for 3 years. Then I got an apartment outside of that mall around 2013 and would go to the movies there all the time.
Great upload! Thanks for another adventure.
Your channel is TOP over others that have been around for years. I enjoy the geographical information. I find other channels boring with not much enthusiasm. Keep up the good work & God bless North C dog22❤
Thank you!! I’m glad you like my stuff!
@NorthCdogg22 Of course, man! Great content & like many others, I'm here to stay ✌🏾
This was a trip to watch. This was my mall growing up but I never saw it after being remodeled so it’s hard to reconstruct my memories. The food court was the easiest portion to reimagine but still didn’t feel familiar like I hoped it would. The only parts that looked right were the flashback photos. What a bizarre way to have nostalgia stolen.
Mall culture was where it was at - vibe with friends, look at pretty girls, but record albums/ so sad to see it go!💜🖤🤎🤍💯👍!
There were some decent record shops, until Amazon bought cd- now, rest is history although a few small independent owners coming back
Man that was the spot back in the gap. I worked at Spencer’s in 96
Memories 😊
So many memories from this mall 😢
I'm glad you got to see West Oaks before it was closed off. It seemed to be on a good path to success just 10 years ago after the movie theater opened. Even Macy's had a small renovation around that time that cleaned up the carpets and reconfigured the upper floor.
One funny sidenote about the Outlet inside of the former Macy's. If you ever need toilet paper in the future, they have at least a truckload stashed in the mess of their overstock merchandise. It is such a random thing to see, but so is the inventory at that store.
Apparently it’s still open and some of the anchors and restaurants are operational (according to management). I’m going to check it out sometime
@riverscuomo_1464 Don't waste your time. The mall is closed with the exception of 2 businesses near the old cinema mall entrance. The rest of the mall is blocked off.
@@jeee1074 that’s ridiculous, I don’t know why they try and hide the mall when you can appreciate it even without stores
@riverscuomo_1464 I agree, but the liability of keeping a space that large open is probably huge.
On your list of mall I did not see Westwood Mall. So many great memories there, The gold Mine, K B Toys, and Orange Julius
That was one I did miss out on, my bad!
Westwood had a gorgeous carousel back in the 90s, too!
@merenguehips I also remember the large glass elevator and the stairs that had floating platforms, pentagon or hexagon
I spent a lot of money at the Gold Mine! Those stair cases in the main court were amazing as kid!