Bargain stores bring business back to Sun Valley Mall

HARLINGEN — Rosemary Balderas remembers when rows of empty storefronts lined Sun Valley Mall.

"For a while it was kind of dead," said Balderas, a retired nurse. "Now it’s hard to find a parking spot."

About 40 years ago, Sun Valley opened as the Rio Grande Valley’s first mall.

But after Valle Vista Mall opened in the early 1980s, many Harlingen businesses moved to the south part of town.

Then in December 2007, the 99 Cent Only Store opened at Sun Valley as the nation began to plunge into its hardest times since the Great Depression.

Soon, customers like Oralia Barajas were back at the old mall.

"It’s a lot of bargains," said Barajas, who used to work at a textile factory. "You can get anything from 99 cents."

In 2008, the Texas Thrift Store came to the old mall, behind a storefront that had been home to a big supermarket about two decades earlier.

"We have people who spend hours in here," said Mary Andrade, the thrift store’s manager.

Then in 2010, Fallas Parades opened to offer bargains on clothing.

Late last year, Melrose opened next door to offer fashion at discount prices.

"We’ve slowly been doing better," mall owner Stanley Spigel said from his office in San Antonio.

Despite the national recession, Sun Valley Mall is back in business, Spigel said.

"Everyone’s cautious right now as far as expansions, so they look at can’t-miss locations," Spigel said. "We brought in some new tenants. It is hard to bring in tenants that can make a difference. The stores have done very well. We feel long-term that the center’s going to come back to life."

Across the country, many discount stores are thriving, said Bill Martin, chief executive officer of the Harlingen Economic Development Corporation.

"There is a trend toward value retailers, not just locally, but nationally," Martin said. "Some very smart retailers are taking advantage of this trend by meeting customer demand."

Hard times help bring shoppers to the mall, Balderas said.

"Money’s short and people are trying to stretch their dollars," she said. "A lot of people are out of work or just one person is working. That’s why there are so many people here."

The mall has helped breathe new life into north Harlingen’s shopping district, Andrade said.

"It’s a one-stop location," Andrade said of the mall. "There’s been a lot of growth. People on this side of town needed this. In this economy, people are always looking for discounts and bargains. We’ve got something for everybody."