Post Oak Mall

Beginnings In the early 1980s, the demand for shopping opportunities and other businesses was growing with the populations of the side-by-side cities of Bryan and College Station. The city and developer CBL & Associates Properties began making plans for the opening of a large regional mall in the area, with the first choice of location being in Bryan near the intersection of Earl Rudder Freeway (Texas State Highway 6) and Briarcrest Drive (FM 1179). However, the owner of the land refused to sell. With the city unable to procure the land, the mall project was shifted to College Station. Construction began on Post Oak Mall in the summer of 1979 at the intersection of Earl Rudder Freeway and Harvey Road. Developer CBL & Associates Properties hired Eugene "Buck" Schimpf to act as the project manager. Architectonics Inc. was hired to design the mall. More than 1,000 workers were employed to help construct the mall, with the project "monopolizing the local (construction) trade" at the time. Spanning , the first phase of the mall contained approximately 80 stores, including four anchors: the area's first Foley's Sears, which relocated from its smaller Bryan location; In addition to the stores, the mall contained a three–screen Plitt-branded movie theater and a food court with fifteen small restaurants and a 300-person seating area. The mall walkways were decorated with a variety of small potted trees and plants in large atrium areas, with tiered glass ceilings above. A copper-piping fountain that emitted water in a "dandelion bubble" dominated one end of the building. Before its opening, the city did not have a highly developed retail community. It would bring in another $120,000 in property taxes, a half-million in taxes for College Station Independent School District, and $1 million in electric bills. after water from the sprinklers flowed out of the store and into the middle of the mall walkway. The affected stores had to be closed for two days while repairs were made. In 2006, Anuncio Digital Media, a locally started digital advertising firm, installed its first mall-based digital signage network, which consists of a series of twenty plasma screen televisions around the main concourse and in the food court that display six-second sound-free advertisements. Post Oak Mall was the first of four CBL-owned malls to receive this network, with four other CBL malls scheduled to follow. The advertising displays were activated on September 1, 2006. David Gwin, the economic development director for College Station, is working with the mall on a possible $8.5 million renovation project to give the mall a further boost. As of 2008, details about what the renovations would entail have not been released. In February 2009, the city noted that plans had been designed to renovate both the interior and exterior of the mall. On January 19, 2012, CBL Properties announced, among others, that Post Oak Mall would receive major renovations sometime during 2012. In CBL's press release, they announced that "The renovation at Post Oak Mall will involve modern updates including new flooring and paint as well as all new amenities such as soft seating areas and décor, updated entrances, and lighting. In addition, the food courts at Cross Creek Mall, Turtle Creek Mall and Post Oak Mall will receive completely new designs, including new tables and chairs." Renovations were completed in November 2012 with a grand reopening held the weekend of November 9, 2012. ==Stores==

While the bulk of Post Oak Mall's 125 stores are clothing and accessory shops, as of 2009 it is home to several hair salons and cosmetic stores, two video game stores, two optical shops, a Dallas Cowboys Pro Shop, a store featuring Texas A&M merchandise (Aggieland Outfitters), and a pet store that primarily sells puppies imported from Canada. In addition to six food vendors in the central food court, the mall houses full-size Casa Olé and Chuck E. Cheese's restaurants, and kiosk versions of Auntie Anne's and Dippin' Dots. There is a small indoor children's play area located in the food court, a night club, and recruitment centers for the United States Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marines. When it opened, the mall contained a three-screen movie theater owned by Cineplex Odeon, which was later bought out the Plitt chain. The Post Oak Mall theater location was eventually sold to Carmike Cinemas before closing for good by 1999. The empty space was replaced with a full-service restaurant and an entertainment section. Anchors The first four anchor stores in the mall were Sears, Dillard's, Wilson's, and Foley's. The sixth anchor was added in 1985, when JCPenney moved into the newly expanded mall from its Bryan Manor East Mall location. Both Dillard's locations, Foley's, JCPenney, and Sears were all independently owned, separate from mall ownership, and considered "stand-alone" buildings for tax purposes. With the opening of its location on August 5, 2005, Steve & Barry's became the mall's only anchor store to have no exterior exit. In September 2008, after Steve & Barry's declared bankruptcy, the Post Oak store was closed as part of the parent's company attempt to save its business, but it went out of business altogether less than three months later. On August 22, 2018, it was announced that Sears would be closing as part of a plan to close 46 stores nationwide. The store closed in November 2018. On March 17, 2020, Bealls was converted into Gordmans. Just two months later on May 19, 2020, it was announced that Gordmans would also be closing due to parent company Stage Stores going out of business. In 2020, Conn's HomePlus opened in the former Sears anchor store. On January 5, 2021, it was announced that Macy's would be closing in March 2021 as part of a plan to close 46 stores nationwide. In 2025, Dave & Buster’s announced they would be opening an arcade inside one of the vacant anchor stores. Construction began on the arcade in 2026 and the location is expected to open in late 2026. Food court Post Oak Mall's food court contains seven food stall vendors. The mall's food court offers a Charley's Philly Stakes, a burger place, an Asian restaurant, a pizza stall, a locally operated Taste of the Tropics, a maker of pure fruit smoothies, and a Nestlé Toll House Café. The stalls arranged around half of a semi-round area, retail stores along the other half, and openings to the mall concourse on both ends. The Sonic closed in late 2012. == Gallery ==

File:Post Oak Mall Dillard's Womens' Entrance, August 2025.jpg|'''Dillard's Womens' Entrance, August 2025''' File:Post Oak Mall JCPenney Entrance, August 2025.jpg|JCPenney Entrance, August 2025 File:Post Oak Mall Former Macy's Wing, August 2025.jpg|'''Former Foley's / Macy's / Conn's Wing, August 2025''' File:Post Oak Mall Former Macy's Entrance, August 2025.jpg|'''Former Foley's / Macy's / Conn's Entrance, August 2025''' ==Economic impact==

Post Oak Mall was the first mall in the city of College Station, and as of 2008, it is the largest mall in the Brazos Valley. There were concerns that the mall would hurt existing area businesses, but CBL was certain the mall would have a "trickle-down" effect that would result in the Harvey Road area to be "fully developed with smaller strip shopping centers." Over 75 percent of retail sales in the Brazos Valley coming from sales at the mall's stores and it continues to be one of the area's largest employers as well as being the largest employer for Texas A&M students. As predicted, the Harvey Road/Earl Rudder Freeway intersection became a major entry point into College Station, with Harvey Road now boasting a long stretch of retail businesses and restaurants. It is considered an "area of bustling activity" by the city. According to Joan Ghani, the marketing director of the mall, the mall sees eleven million visitors walk through its door annually. While the large college population from Texas A&M University boosts the mall's revenue, the average mall shoppers are in their 30s and come from both within the Brazos County and the twelve surrounding counties. ==References==