Houston Galleria's New Wing and Why This MegaMall Continues to Flourish While Some Struggle

Gallleria Mall and adjacent office tower.

While some other malls are struggling, Houston's Galleria has expanded with a new wing and is flourishing.

Why the difference between this mega-mall and others?  One reason is that high-end retail rarely suffers much during economic lows or other times of flux such as changes in how people shop, i.e. by shopping on-line with home deliveries.
The other is that the Galleria is a high-end mall located in the highest-end of the city. It's surrounded by pricey homes where people have the disposable income and the time to shop. But there are also some teen and tween stores that pack in the shopping packs for an afternoon or even a full-day adventure.

In addition, it has a hotel on-site and is surrounded by nearby hotels that bring in people from all over the world and people whose vacation can be largely a shop-cation. There is an ice-skating rink where the public can skate on the same ice where Olympic hopefuls and Olympians have glided. Plus it has both an Apple store and a Microsoft store. It also has the iconic WaterWall fountain and park adjacent to the mall so shoppers can rush around in retail, then relax in greenspace.  The WaterWall park was built by the developer who built the Galleria mall.

WaterWall Park adjacent to the Houston Galleria 

In short, it has what people want and a high-tech mix of what people need. With that and a chance to try your own version a of triple axle, it is a destination in itself.  That's what malls need in these times of change.

Click on the link for details of the Galleria' new wing:
http://www.papercitymag.com/fashion/galleria-houston-opens-new-wing-fancy-restaurants-stores-galeria-iv/




Photos at the top and middle of this blog post by Susan Speck