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It is part of a Houston phenomenon of the older mall surviving newer malls.
The New Mall: 1983–1990In 1983, Town & Country Mall opened on Interstate 10 and Beltway 8 in Houston. The three-level mall debuted with anchor tenants Joske's (became Dillard's after 1987 acquisition), JCPenney, Marshall Field's (became Saks Fifth Avenue after Field's pulled out of Texas in 1997), and Neiman Marcus. The large, comfortable interior attracted residents from all over the surrounding area. Many large anchors, such as Dillard's, continued to flourish in the golden years of the mall. The mall initially had a large food court on the third floor in the JC Penney wing, but it was soon replaced by a children's store called Twelve & Under, which offered a selection of toys and clothing in addition to a giant play structure. The only restaurant that remained in the food court area was a McDonald's. It featured booths within the inline store as well as seating out on the mall street. Numerous other restaurants were located throughout the rest of the mall. By the late 1980s, Memorial City Mall, a nearby rival, was teetering on the brink of closure after Town & Country had taken the neighboring mall's 20-year grasp as the leading mall away. Town & Country was very popular through the 1980s, yet the 1990s saw a great depression.
Beginning of the End: 1991–2001Town & Country had its rightful place as leader until the mid-1990s, when its popularity started to decrease. The mall was losing style with Houston shoppers as the interior became small and clogged while leasing space that was available could not handle larger stores that were demanded by many retailers. In fact, much of the mall's third level was vacant by the middle of the 1990s. When the Beltway 8 and Interstate 10 interchange was built in 1989, it obscured the view of the mall from the highways, giving Memorial City Mall an advantage since it was at the next Interstate 10 exit. Also, it was very hard to access the mall due to the limited amount of signage guiding people to the mall, and the clogged traffic of the Beltway 8 and Interstate 10 frontage roads. Saks Fifth Avenue replaced Marshall Field's in 1997 after Field's pulled out of Texas. That store closed in 2000 just before the JCPenney announced their closing sale. JCPenney pulled out in 2000 with the closing of several other stores nationwide. By the late 1990s, Town & Country was desperate for shoppers and tried to persuade them to come back by hosting model train conventions and such, but the mall never regained strength. By 2000, the mall was almost empty.
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