Sunrise Mall (Corpus Christi)
Encyclopedia
Sunrise Mall is a two-story, enclosed shopping mall
in Corpus Christi
, Texas
. It is located at the intersection of Airline Dr. & S. Padre Island Drive
. Anchor stores include Burlington Coat Factory
, Sears
, Stein Mart
and Wilcox Furniture.
on November 1, 1979, Sunrise Mall was built over a 15 month period in the early 1980s on property less than 1,000 feet from the existing Padre Staples Mall (now La Palmera
). Grand opening ceremonies were held on February 4, 1981, with Joske's
, Frost Bros.
and Sears as the mall's primary anchors. An H-E-B
grocery store, present before the mall's opening, was on site. In its early years, the mall competed well against nearby Padre Staples Mall. Despite its close proximity to a competing mall, most retailers chose to locate duplicate locations within the new mall rather than close their existing ones. The mall flourished during the early 1980s, earning minor fame as a filming location for the film The Legend of Billie Jean
.
In response to a renovation and expansion of Padre Staples Mall, management began a major expansion and renovation in 1987 which was to add a new anchor store, Mervyn's, a movie theater, a nautical-themed food court, and two parking garages. In the midst of their renovations, however, Sunrise was dealt a blow when Joske's was purchased by Dillard's
. Already having a location at Padre Staples Mall, Dillard's management chose to close the Sunrise Mall location, leaving Sunrise with one of their major anchor stores vacant. Montgomery Ward
, however, stepped in and took over the location in November of the same year
After more than four years, the Frost Bros. location was taken over in 1992 by Burlington Coat Factory, a retailer not normally associated with being a major mall anchor. Despite this, major retailers continued to leave the mall. The collapse of Montgomery Ward in 2000 along with the closing of Mervyn's in 2006 left Sunrise with two major anchor spaces vacant. A series of ownership and management changes left the mall mostly vacant by 2007, leaving a few non-traditional mall tenants such as an insurance agency, an unemployment office, and a medical clinic. Wilcox Furniture, a local chain, opened in late 2007, occupying a portion of the previous Montgomery Ward anchor store.
due to the owner failing to pay the facility's electricity bill. After a brief legal battle and a bankruptcy filing, the mall was foreclosed upon in September 2008. But is currently still open and running with few businesses open.
auction by Laredo, Texas
-based IBC Bank, the mall's largest creditor, in September 2008. A new management team was brought in to revitalize the facility and to market the mall to new tenants. Many improvements have been made, including a new air conditioning system and a professional security staff. Notably, the fountains, which were prominently featured in the film The Legend of Billie Jean
, have been restored to working condition after years of being inoperable.
The mall's only original anchor tenant is Sears, whose construction predated the mall's by 5 years. The only original non-anchor tenant is General Nutrition Centers
, who remains open and is the mall's only non-anchor national chain retailer.
27.70752°N 97.365057°W
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
in Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. It is located at the intersection of Airline Dr. & S. Padre Island Drive
Texas State Highway 358
State Highway 358 or SH 358 is a Texas state highway that runs along the southern edge of Corpus Christi. The route was designated in 1946 from SH 286 to the Naval Air Station, replacing FM 693. It was extended northwest to Interstate 37 in 1958, replacing FM 891. It is also known as Padre...
. Anchor stores include Burlington Coat Factory
Burlington Coat Factory
Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation is a national department store retailer focusing on clothing and shoes, with over 450 stores in 45 states and Puerto Rico.. In 2006, it was acquired by Bain Capital, LLC in a take-private transaction...
, Sears
Sears, Roebuck and Company
Sears, officially named Sears, Roebuck and Co., is an American chain of department stores which was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck in the late 19th century...
, Stein Mart
Stein Mart
Stein Mart is a nationwide department store based in Jacksonville, Florida. The company reported a profit of nearly $24 million in 2009 with operation of 264 stores in 30 states and the District of Columbia. Stein Mart has locations primarily in the Southeast and Texas. Stein Mart's stores carry...
and Wilcox Furniture.
Early years and Prosperity (1979-1987)
With construction crews breaking groundGroundbreaking
Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are often attended by dignitaries such as politicians and...
on November 1, 1979, Sunrise Mall was built over a 15 month period in the early 1980s on property less than 1,000 feet from the existing Padre Staples Mall (now La Palmera
La Palmera
La Palmera is an indoor and open-air shopping mall located along the shopping corridor of South Padre Island Drive at Staples St. in Corpus Christi, Texas, United States...
). Grand opening ceremonies were held on February 4, 1981, with Joske's
Joske's
Joske's, founded by German immigrant Julius Joske in 1867, was a department store chain originally based in San Antonio, Texas. In December 1928, Hahn Department Stores acquired the company along with the Titche-Goettinger department store of Dallas, and three years later Hahn became part of Allied...
, Frost Bros.
Frost Bros.
Frost Bros. was a high-fashion retail chain based in San Antonio, Texas. The retailer opened its first store in 1917 at 217 E. Houston Street in downtown San Antonio. Frost Bros. was known for quality personal service, including name recognition, purchase preferences, and personal shoppers...
and Sears as the mall's primary anchors. An H-E-B
H-E-B
HEB Grocery Company, LP is a privately held San Antonio, Texas-based supermarket chain with more than 315 stores throughout Texas and northern Mexico. The company also operates Central Market, an upscale organic and fine foods retailer.H-E-B ranked No...
grocery store, present before the mall's opening, was on site. In its early years, the mall competed well against nearby Padre Staples Mall. Despite its close proximity to a competing mall, most retailers chose to locate duplicate locations within the new mall rather than close their existing ones. The mall flourished during the early 1980s, earning minor fame as a filming location for the film The Legend of Billie Jean
The Legend of Billie Jean
The Legend of Billie Jean is a 1985 American drama film, directed by Matthew Robbins.-Plot:Billie Jean Davy , a Corpus Christi, Texas high school girl, rides with her younger brother, Binx , on a Honda Elite to a local lake to enjoy a day of swimming and relaxation...
.
In response to a renovation and expansion of Padre Staples Mall, management began a major expansion and renovation in 1987 which was to add a new anchor store, Mervyn's, a movie theater, a nautical-themed food court, and two parking garages. In the midst of their renovations, however, Sunrise was dealt a blow when Joske's was purchased by Dillard's
Dillard's
Dillard's, Inc. is a department store chain in the United States, with 330 stores in 29 states. Headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, Dillard's locations are concentrated in Texas and Florida; with a major presence in other states including Arizona, Iowa, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri,...
. Already having a location at Padre Staples Mall, Dillard's management chose to close the Sunrise Mall location, leaving Sunrise with one of their major anchor stores vacant. Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward is an online retailer that carries the same name as the former American department store chain, founded as the world's #1 mail order business in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward, and which went out of business in 2001...
, however, stepped in and took over the location in November of the same year
Gradual Downfall (1988-2007)
In April 1988, just two months after completing renovations, Frost Bros. announced that they were closing their Corpus Christi location due to financial difficulties. Problems began to beset the retailers at Sunrise almost immediately. Many retailers were already finding it difficult to justify operating two stores within such proximity to one another. Gradually, major retailers began to migrate back to Padre Staples Mall. In 1990, the now closed H-E-B store on the property was connected to the mall by a corridor and re-opened as a Stein Mart, adding a sixth anchor store to the property.After more than four years, the Frost Bros. location was taken over in 1992 by Burlington Coat Factory, a retailer not normally associated with being a major mall anchor. Despite this, major retailers continued to leave the mall. The collapse of Montgomery Ward in 2000 along with the closing of Mervyn's in 2006 left Sunrise with two major anchor spaces vacant. A series of ownership and management changes left the mall mostly vacant by 2007, leaving a few non-traditional mall tenants such as an insurance agency, an unemployment office, and a medical clinic. Wilcox Furniture, a local chain, opened in late 2007, occupying a portion of the previous Montgomery Ward anchor store.
Rapid Decline (2008)
The mall fell into serious neglect in early 2008, including an incident in which the power was cut off by Reliant EnergyReliant Energy
RRI Energy, Inc. , based in Houston, Texas, United States, was an energy company that provided electricity to wholesale customers in the United States. The company was one of the largest independent power producers in the nation with more than 14,000 megawatts of power generation capacity across...
due to the owner failing to pay the facility's electricity bill. After a brief legal battle and a bankruptcy filing, the mall was foreclosed upon in September 2008. But is currently still open and running with few businesses open.
New Ownership and Revitalization Attempt
Sunrise Mall was purchased at a foreclosureForeclosure
Foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgage lender , or other lien holder, obtains a termination of a mortgage borrower 's equitable right of redemption, either by court order or by operation of law...
auction by Laredo, Texas
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
-based IBC Bank, the mall's largest creditor, in September 2008. A new management team was brought in to revitalize the facility and to market the mall to new tenants. Many improvements have been made, including a new air conditioning system and a professional security staff. Notably, the fountains, which were prominently featured in the film The Legend of Billie Jean
The Legend of Billie Jean
The Legend of Billie Jean is a 1985 American drama film, directed by Matthew Robbins.-Plot:Billie Jean Davy , a Corpus Christi, Texas high school girl, rides with her younger brother, Binx , on a Honda Elite to a local lake to enjoy a day of swimming and relaxation...
, have been restored to working condition after years of being inoperable.
The mall's only original anchor tenant is Sears, whose construction predated the mall's by 5 years. The only original non-anchor tenant is General Nutrition Centers
General Nutrition Centers
General Nutrition Centers is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based American commercial enterprise focused on the retail sale of health and nutrition related products, including vitamins, supplements, minerals, herbs, sports nutrition, diet & energy products.-History:In 1935, David Shakarian opened a...
, who remains open and is the mall's only non-anchor national chain retailer.
Revitalization efforts placed on hold
In 2010 Sunrise mall lost yet another anchor store, as SteinMart left to relocate in Moore Plaza. Many speculate this will prove the death knell to Sunrise Mall's future. Sunerise mall owners have stated that due to the poor economy revitalization efforts have been indefinently placed on hold due to that national downturn in the economy. In the lone bright spot for the mall Funtabulous has opened in the atrium.External links
- Labelscar entry on Sunrise Mall
- Deadmalls.com entry on Sunrise Mall
- Photos of Sunrise Mall Grand Opening
27.70752°N 97.365057°W