Sikes Senter

Sikes Senter is a 670,000 sq ft (62,000 m²) shopping mall in Wichita Falls, Texas. It is the only Texas mall within 100 miles (160 km) of Wichita Falls.^[1] It was owned and managed by Brookfield Properties Retail Group until 2022, when it was sold to Kohan Retail Investment Group. The mall has no open anchor stores, following the closure of two Dillard's locations in 2022, and JCPenney and At Home in 2024.

Plans where announced to build the originally 368,475 square feet (34,232.4 m²) air conditioned shopping mall on June 27, 1965. The mall was originally developed by Louis Sikes and his wife. It was developed on the former site of the Sikes Farm.^[2][3] Construction on the shopping complex started in July of 1965.^[4]

On September 13, 1968 the mall was purchased by Arizona mortgage banker Donald R. Dugan who formed the Sikes Senter Corp.^[5] Later that year, Sikes Senter increased their floor area from 368,475 square feet (34,232.4 m²) to 700,000 square feet (65,000 m²).^[6]

Sikes Senter was sold again on May 1, 1971 to the Hanover Development Corp. out of Chicago later called the Jack Jacobs and Company. Jacobs proposed 2 additional Anchor stores including JCPenney who signed a lease in 1970. The mall was scheduled to open by Spring of 1973 at the time.^[7] The grand opening would later be moved to October 30, 1974.

After the site sat vacant for years, the mall opened October 30, 1974.^[8] Mrs. Sikes and Jack Jacobs Joined the opening of the shopping mall. Mrs. Sikes cut the ribbon to the 650,000 square feet (60,000 m²) shopping center at 9:30 am. Sikes Senter opened with 38 stores, and Dillard's and JCPenney as day one anchors.^[9]

There were a total of four ribbon cutting ceremonies. The JCPenney Automotive Center had their ribbon cutting first at 8:30 and at 9 am Dillard's and JCPenney had their ribbon cutting.^[10]

A Perkins department store out of Decatur opened for business on July 6, 1975.^[11] Lastly the Bealls opened on October 16, 1975.^[12]

In 1981, a Chick-fil-A opened inside Sikes Senter.^[13] In 1982, Perkins would be bought out by Monning's Department Stores out of Fort Worth, and was rebranded to Monnig's-Perkins.^[14]

The Monnig's-Perkins store closed on October 24, 1988^[15] and became a second Dillard's on August 11, 1989.^[16]

On January 31, 1990, the mall owners at the time, JMB-Federated Realty Associates, announced a new wing. The proposed wing would add 10 to 20 new stores and a new 92,700 square feet (8,610 m²) Sears store.^[17]

Sears joined as an anchor on March 5, 1991. Sears replaced their downtown store, which closed on March 2, 1991.^[18]

Additions in the 2000s included Books-A-Million and Old Navy.

Bealls closed in 2011,^[19] as did New York & Company. Also, the Old Navy in the mall reduced its floor space by 25%.^[20] Despite the loss of these stores, the mall maintained occupancy higher than the national average.^[21]

The former Bealls became The Shoe Department Encore in 2012. Sears closed on December 13, 2015 and became At Home on April 21, 2016.^[22][23]

On May 12, 2022, it was announced that Dillard's would be closing both locations in summer 2022.^[24] On June 6, 2024, it was announced the JCPenney would be closing in fall 2024, which will leave At Home as the only anchor left.^[25] On July 25, 2024, it was announced that At Home would be closing later in the year, which would leave the mall with no anchors, making it a dead mall.^[26]

In 2025, the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce confirmed that talks were in place for the city to purchase and demolish the mall, to replace it with an open-air retail area and a new stadium for nearby Midwestern State University.^[27]

On September 29 2025, Tilt Studio would close their Sikes Senter store.^[28]

The City of Wichita Falls, Texas purchased the mall on October 15, 2025.^[29] Prior to the purchase, citizens where concerned about the city purchasing the mall because the city has bigger issues that are more important than the redevelopment of the Sikes Senter Mall.^[30]

Demolition of the mall is expected to begin near the end of 2027, and the project is expected to finish by 2031.^[31]

On January 14, 1987, a 32-year-old city woman was stabbed in the Sikes Senter parking lot. The man who stabbed the woman was also suspected of robbing a McDonald's and a Grocery Store.^[32]

In September 2010, Darren Meadows forced a pair of employees into a walk-in freezer at a Buffalo Wild Wings in the mall with a semi-automatic handgun. He got away with $2,500 not before activating an alarm that led the police to the restaurant. They used surveillance footage to track down Meadows, and captured him a few days later. He was later charged with two counts aggravated robbery with each count carrying a possible sentence of 99 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.^[33]