2026 Top 10 Retail Center Experiences: No. 8 — Market Street - The Woodlands
(Chain Store Age ranks the most innovative shopping center experiences each year. We will be counting down the top 10 until No. 1 is revealed.)
In 1974, oil industry investor George Mitchell used the HUD Title VII program to establish The Woodlands, a new community that he envisioned would “entice city slickers looking for a far-flung suburban quality of life” 20 miles north of Houston off Interstate 45.
One key component of his project was a retail center that would serve as The Woodlands’ downtown. So Mitchell
contacted mixed-use retail pioneer Terry Montesi, founder of the Fort Worth-based Trademark Property Company, to take on the job.
“Market Street today is the Central Park and heart-and-soul for the entire community,” said Montesi. “When we first opened it 23 years ago, we were competing with the local mall, but in the last decade we have not lost a key tenant to the mall."
The 560,000-sq.-ft. destination features nearly 400,000 square feet of retail that includes 11 restaurants, a luxury cinema, 115,000 square feet of office space, and a 70-room Hyatt Centric hotel. Office tenants and H-E-B generate
daytime visitation, while restaurants, a luxury cinema, hotel guests, and evening events drive activity well beyond traditional shopping hours.
Guests can shop luxury brands such as Yves Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton and Gucci while enjoying chef-driven dining concepts such as Mastro’s Ocean Club, Tommy Bahama, True Food Kitchen and Local Public Eatery.
“Market Street was one of the first two suburban mixed-use town centers that focused on creating a new experience for shoppers — Easton Town Center being the other,” Montesi remarked. “Since then, the movement has been on a steady climb.”
2026 Top 10 Retail Center Experiences: No. 9 — Park West Village
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