Stonebriar Centre opened on August 4, 2000, just as the last wave of indoor malls reached the outer edge of the Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs.
The 1.6 million-square-foot complex sat near Preston Road and the Sam Rayburn Tollway in Frisco, anchored by Macy's, Nordstrom, JCPenney, and Dillard's.
The AMC theater stretched across the upper level, and a food court with a working carousel stood near the center court.
For many, it was a weekend stop, with mall staples downstairs, movies upstairs, and enough parking to hold the crowds from neighboring cities.
Stonebriar Centre shopping mall in Frisco Loadmaster (David R. Tribble), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The project had started more than a decade earlier, when Frisco secured the land over Plano through a mix of tax incentives and timing.
As Frisco grew, the mall added a hotel, an indoor theme park, and reworked its retail mix.
By early 2025, leasing stood above 99 percent.
Site Disputes and Groundwork (1988-1999)
In 1988, Homart, the real estate arm of Sears, proposed building a million-square-foot shopping center in Frisco, which then had a population of about 6,000.
The site sat near what would later become the Sam Rayburn Tollway, close to undeveloped pasture and few road connections.
Before the ground was broken, officials in Plano offered Homart a $10 million incentive to move the project just across Texas 121 into their jurisdiction.
Frisco countered with its own package: a half-cent sales tax rebate, a ten-year property tax abatement, and road improvements around the site.
By 1995, General Growth Properties had acquired Homart and inherited the Frisco agreement.
Plano pushed back again, hoping to redirect the mall into its limits, but General Growth stayed with the original site.
Frisco increased its sales tax grant to lock down the deal. While legal agreements were being finalized, work continued around the surrounding area.
The city extended utility access and added lanes to nearby roads.
The mall's location, just off Preston Road, gave it direct access to traffic coming from other parts of Collin and Denton counties.
With no other enclosed mall north of Dallas at the time, the developers positioned Stonebriar Centre to pull shoppers from growing suburbs like McKinney, Allen, and The Colony.
Ground preparation began before the end of the decade.
Opening and Early Years (2000-2005)
Stonebriar Centre opened on August 4, 2000, with anchor tenants that included JCPenney, Foley's, Dillard's, Nordstrom, and Macy's.
It became the final enclosed mall to open in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex before the turn of the century.
The total footprint exceeded 1.6 million square feet, with a three-level layout and structured parking.
Inside, the mall included a 24-screen AMC theater, a multi-vendor food court, and a working carousel.
The mall quickly established itself as a retail destination for the growing residential areas around it.
Stores like Build-A-Bear, Abercrombie, and Williams-Sonoma drew steady foot traffic.
The cinema stayed active throughout the week, especially on weekends and holidays.
Parents often brought kids to the carousel while older siblings shopped nearby.
Foley's and Macy's operated simultaneously during this period, an arrangement left over from previous ownership structures.
The mix of national brands and department stores matched the format of other regional centers.
Still, Stonebriar's location and new construction gave it a competitive edge.
Unlike many older malls in the region, Stonebriar Centre opened with modern fire systems, polished terrazzo floors, and a direct link to the highway.
For a while, the lineup of stores held steady. Vacancies stayed low, and few storefronts changed hands.
Even as other shopping centers reconfigured their layouts or swapped out big-box anchors, Stonebriar Centre stuck with its original design.
Mid-2000s Realignments (2004-2011)
In 2004, the Galyan's at Stonebriar Centre became a Dick's Sporting Goods following a corporate buyout.
The store stayed open through the transition, and no major construction was needed.
Dick's became one of the few sporting goods retailers with direct mall access and an interior-facing storefront.
By 2006, two major anchor names had shifted.
Foley's, previously owned by May Department Stores, was rebranded as Macy's following a company-wide transition under Federated Department Stores.
The existing Macy's location was not closed.
Instead, Dillard's took over that footprint, giving the mall a rare setup in which both Macy's and Dillard's operated in spaces that had opened under different banners.
Upgrades and New Uses (2016-2020)
In 2016, the AMC theater at Stonebriar Centre shut down for three months during a round of interior upgrades.
Crews installed new recliner seating, updated the projection systems to digital, and made a few changes to the lobby.
The work was done quickly, and the theater reopened with a more modern setup but the same footprint.
In May 2018, construction began on a new hotel directly attached to the mall.
The 18-story Hyatt Regency was designed with a full-service restaurant, meeting space, and skybridge access to the shopping center.
Structural work lasted over two years, and the hotel opened in June 2020.
The addition expanded the mall's footprint beyond retail by adding hospitality and event capacity to the site.
Also during this span, the international indoor attraction KidZania announced plans to open its first U.S. location inside Stonebriar Centre.
That 85,000-square-foot buildout opened to the public in fall 2019, taking over interior space that had not previously housed a single large-format tenant.
These three additions, cinema upgrades, hotel construction, and the KidZania lease, slightly shifted the mall's focus away from retail-only use.
However, its core structure, anchor tenant configuration, and directory layout remained intact.
Retail Shifts and Renovation Plans (2021-2023)
Between 2021 and 2023, Stonebriar Centre kept the same overall footprint, but the activity inside told a different story.
Some long-term tenants started shrinking their leased space, while national brands rethought their presence in the area.
A number of in-line stores either shut down or relocated to smaller units just a few doors down.
The old Sears space, vacated in previous years, had not yet been converted but was being considered for redevelopment.
Mall management retained the structure and left leasing signage in place.
The open status of that space was visible from common areas and directories. However, no public construction occurred during this window.
Recent Activity and the 25-Year Mark (2024-2025)
In early 2024, Stonebriar Centre began shifting its roster to accommodate a new round of national retailers.
Forever 21 downsized and moved to a smaller unit, and Express filled the space it left behind.
Mango and Chubbies opened that same season, both aiming at a younger demographic with fast-turn inventory and trend-driven styles.
Despite the changes, mall management reported 99 percent leasing that year, with most storefronts occupied as spaces were reassigned.
The Sears footprint, long vacant, was designated for redevelopment.
In February 2025, Dick's Sporting Goods announced plans to convert the space into one of its "House of Sport" locations.
The concept includes climbing walls, batting cages, and golf simulators, along with traditional retail space.
Construction on the buildout had not yet begun but was expected to proceed within the year.
On May 14, 2025, plans were announced for a Crocs store.
Scheduled to open later that summer, the space will include both Crocs and Heydude merchandise.
The new store is located on the lower level near See's Candies, placing it near established food and fashion tenants.
To mark its 25th anniversary, Stonebriar Centre scheduled events for August 2 and 9, 2025.
Both dates are set to include early-2000s-themed music, giveaway promotions, and a community Memory Wall in Nordstrom Court.