by Andrea Conley of Dallas Weekly

The crowds at the mall during the holidays were at a tiny fraction of what they were back in the day.

Even during the final, busy shopping days of the year, the teeming, hustle-and-bustle traffic was conspicuously absent. There were still those shoppers perusing the precious few major department stores for treasures to bestow upon loved ones, but the crowds were at a tiny fraction of what they were back in the day.

Southwest Center Mall has gone through many changes. Changes in ownership, changes in retail tenants. And then, there is the name. When southern Dallas’ only mall opened at 3662 W. Camp Wisdom in 1975, it was christened Red Bird Mall, after the proud community.

In the beginning, shoppers came in droves and were thrilled they no longer had to travel to far north Dallas to shop at stores such as Sears, J.C. Penney, Sanger-Harris (later Foley’s and most recently, Macy’s) and Montgomery Ward.

But by the mid-to-late 1980s, urban decay had begun taking its toll. The location, near the intersection of Highway 67 and I-20 had once been a blessing to the mall, had now become a curse. Reports of rampant car break-ins, vandalism and robbery caused many shoppers to take their business elsewhere. And soon, The Parks at Arlington opened its doors and provided southern sector residents another alternative to north Dallas traffic.

The DeBartolo family, who were the original owners, tried to give the mall a facelift in order to win back shoppers, but their strategy failed, and in 1997, the mall was sold to NAAMCO Financial of California.

In an attempt to disassociate the mall with the troubled neighborhood, NAAMCO changed the name to Southwest Center Mall. Still, nothing even close to the mall’s original success was ever recaptured. Reportedly, the lease prices retailers had to pay were exorbitant, which, combined with extremely low customer traffic, forced stores like J.C. Penney to go elsewhere. Penney’s closed its Southwest Center location in 2001.

Many longtime Dallas residents still refer to the mall as Red Bird a decade after the name change. Perhaps it can be attributed to “force of habit” because after all, it was Red Bird Mall for more than 20 years. Cynthia Butler thinks so. Butler, a Dallas-area realtor, says, “if you’re from Dallas and you say ‘Red Bird Mall,’ everyone knows what you’re talking about.”

Flight attendant Gina Christian, who grew up in Oak Cliff, says she agrees.

“That (Red Bird Mall) is all I know,” she said. “When someone says ‘Southwest Center Mall,’ it really throws me off!”

The mall was foreclosed – and sold again and again – most recently in early 2006, nearly two years ago. And although the new owners, SW Dallas LP, expressed high optimism that they could somehow revive it, many still doubt those efforts will be successful. As recently as a few months ago Dillard’s announced that it, too, would be closing its doors at Southwest Center Mall. City Councilman Tennell Atkins has long been a vocal supporter of the mall but could not be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, Cedar Hill expects to welcome a posh, gleaming shopper’s paradise – Uptown Village – in early 2008. The Parks at Arlington continues to do well, and recently, the Arlington Highlands entertainment and shopping center opened at I-20 at Matlock. The new development boasts a number of chain stores, specialty shops, restaurants and other attractions, including Studio Movie Grill. Some shoppers say there is probably one main reason why new shopping and entertainment venues are popping up in other parts of the Metroplex, while retailers are steadily abandoning Southwest Center Mall. Whether real, perceived or a little of both, there is the belief that at Southwest Center Mall, shoppers are constantly in harm’s way, while new developments, without a history of those type incidents, enjoy massive crowds.

“It is not safe!” says Venetia, a 50-ish sales director, as she recalls the evening some 12-15 years ago when her husband, Frank, was mugged on the parking lot as he attempted to go shopping at the mall. She says that is the reason they will no longer shop there, even if the mall is revitalized in the future. The couple, who have two grown daughters and four grandchildren, still love their spacious Oak Cliff home of more than 28 years. In their quiet, well-manicured neighborhood, people still proudly tend their homes and raise their families. But Venetia says there are sometimes dangerous troublemakers just around the corner, looking for someone to victimize.

Residents like Butler and Christian, who no longer live in the area but still have family ties there, agree that a revitalized Southwest Center Mall – or Red Bird Mall, if you prefer – is a nice thought.

Whether or not it will ever come to pass remains to be seen.

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