The Woodlands Mall

"That sign was, in part, a defense measure," Galatas wrote in his book, "The Woodlands: The Inside Story of Creating a Better Hometown."

The DeBartolo company was a developer interested in building a mall in the north Houston area at South Loop 336 and Hwy. 105, Galatas said, but was more interested in a site farther north in Conroe at the intersection of South Loop 336 and Hwy. 105.

"We felt we could promote the belief that the mall would be located in The Woodlands, and it could diminish the competition," Galatas said.

With the DeBartolo group out of the picture, the Development Company and Woodlands founder George Mitchell turned their attention to Homart, a mall developer and wholly owned subsidiary of Sears. Mitchell, Galatas, Mike Richmond and Ben Love flew to Chicago to meet with the chairman of the Sears Corp. board of directors on the top floor of the Sears tower to convince him to open a store in The Woodlands.

"That meeting was a watershed event," Galatas said.

For the mall to be realized, it needed four anchor tenants. Dillard and Foley's were two early commitments, along with Sears. Mervyn's was accepted by Homart as the fourth tenant, and the mall was off and running.

The Woodlands Mall opened in 1994 to a crowd that had been promised its existence for more than a decade. On the morning the mall opened, Mitchell, Galatas and Richmond rode in a limousine to the grand opening celebration.

"When we got there at 9 a.m., the mall parking lot was absolutely full," Galatas said. "The mall ring road had people sitting around the curb waiting to get in."

As Mitchell made his way through the crowd, the thousands on hand were there to greet him and shake his hand.

"It was more than a grand opening," Galatas said. "It was an emotional thank you."