Galleria Dallas and NorthPark Center said late Tuesday that both shopping centers will remain closed on Wednesday as protests continue in Dallas and other U.S. cities.
There’s never been a time that Dallas’ two malls have been closed for this long. NorthPark has been open since 1965 and Galleria since 1982.
The occasional bad weather has closed the malls. There was an ice storm that forced stores to close early on a Black Friday in the 1990s.
Even after 9-11, when area malls closed that morning, the Dallas malls reopened late in the afternoon the next day. Americans were encouraged to spend back then to help the economy, but it took a while for shoppers to show up. Analysts and retailers at the time called it the “CNN effect» as people stayed home to watch the tragic events in New York City unfold.
Malls in Texas reopened in early May after being closed for the coronavirus pandemic. There was some momentum last weekend before the protests shutdown shopping again. Food courts were allowed to reopen, and Dallas residents were starting to venture out more.
Galleria Dallas had about 75% of its stores back open Saturday morning, said general manager Angie Freed. “It was shaping up to be a good weekend.”
