A Second Chance for Market Square Mall

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1983
Paul Harvey led grand opening ceremonies for what was then known as Outlet Malls of America. Using a five-horsepower electric winch, he helped raise a 5,000-square-foot flag 224 feet into the air. TJ Maxx anchored the new retail outlet. Other stores included Finish Line, Children’s Place, Famous Footwear, Publisher’s Book Outlet, Diamonds Unlimited, and The Card Barn. An opening-day full-page advertisement in The Dallas Morning News boasted that Outlet Malls of America was the next step in the country’s shopping evolution, following department stores, shopping centers, and shopping malls.
1994
By the ‘90s, the facility was known as Plano Market Square Mall. According to a 1994 Dallas Morning News article about the property, the outlet mall concept began failing at the time due to conflict with department stores. It received new life four years later when Garden Ridge Pottery announced plans to move there. This brought the mall back to full capacity for the first time in a decade. The following year Plano Antique Mall opened just inside the West entrance. Business thrived again before declining in the 2000s.
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2021
The Plano Antique Mall store has had the building mostly to itself for years. Matthew Loh and his family purchased the mall in 2003 and by 2019 was looking for a buyer that could envision a new and innovative future for the site. When Triten Real Estate Partners presented its vision for the property, the Loh family believed they finally found what they were looking for. The site will be transformed into a mixed-use development that will include townhomes, retail, restaurants, and creative office space.