The first Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex shopping mall of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, the Shops at Willow Bend opened on August 3, 2001, with occupancy near 75% and four anchor stores: Foley's, Lord & Taylor, Neiman–Marcus, and Dillard's.[5] It faced several challenges from the beginning. The mall opened shortly before the September 11 attacks when nationwide retail sales slowed considerably. Stonebriar Centre previously opened less than a year before on August 4, 2000, just a few miles north in nearby Frisco.[6] Stonebriar was also considerably larger, offered more amenities and entertainment such as a movie theater and ice rink, and offered a wider selection of shops and restaurants with broad appeal. The collapse of the telecom corridor to the east of the centers trade area further hampered the mall’s performance.
Neiman Marcus Court
The mall was developed and originally managed by Taubman Centers, which was highly selective in accepting tenants. Despite being designed as a regional shopping center with over 1,500,000 square feet (140,000 m2) of space, management originally planned to limit the focus of Willow Bend shoppers to upscale stores which would appeal to an affluent clientele. The four original anchor stores were Dillard's, Foley's, Lord & Taylor, and Neiman Marcus. The Lord & Taylor and Neiman Marcus stores were replacements for those at the since-demolished Prestonwood Town Center in north Dallas.
In 2004, Saks Fifth Avenue was added as a fifth anchor.[5] By 2005, Lord & Taylor shuttered entirely.
In August 2010, Saks Fifth Avenue announced it would be shuttering entirely as part of a strategy implemented to improve profit margins substantially by electing to shutter nearly thirty five percent of its entire base over the course of several years.[7] In 2011, a new Crate & Barrel opened in the original Lord & Taylor structure which had been reconstructed.
In 2014, the mall was sold as part of a 7 property package to Starwood Capital Group for approximately $1.4 billion.[8]
In 2015, it was announced the mall would undergo a $126 million renovation with the original Saks Fifth Avenue structure being reconstructed with internal and external facing restaurants and entertainment venues.[9]
In March 2018, the 60,000-square-foot Crayola Experience opened between Macy's and the food court.[10][11]
In April 2023, it was announced the mall would be updated one more time including transforming the northern section of the mall into an open air shopping center featuring additional retail stores, an 18-story hotel, a 7-story office building and three 5-story buildings with 960 apartments. Construction is expected to take place in 2025.[12]
