Since Oct. 1, indoor walkers at The Shops at Willow Bend have had two ways in. One is Parking Deck D, using the North Texas Performing Arts entrance on levels 1 and 2. The other is The District, entering near Knife Steakhouse and Mexican Bar Company. Indoor walking stays open in a limited part of the building and is expected to continue through early 2027, according to the mall's own notice.
That notice tells you a lot about the property right now. The mall's last day was Monday, Aug. 31, 2026, when nearly every tenant turned in its keys, as KERA reported. But the site is not empty. A few businesses are still open, and the ones with reported timelines are leaving on different schedules: Crate & Barrel in late December, indoor walking in early 2027, NTPA once its new building is ready, and the two restaurants by the front door in 2038. If you live nearby, which door you use and how long it stays open depends on your errand.
Different end dates for each tenant
D Magazine called Willow Bend the last enclosed shopping mall built in Texas when it opened in 2001. Its closing reporting confirmed that Knife and Mexican Bar Company would stay, with leases running through 2038. It also said the Crate & Barrel on the building's exterior would remain through Dec. 27. In an email to the Dallas Morning News, Centennial, an owner of the mall, also named Equinox and North Texas Performing Arts among the tenants that would keep serving guests after Sept. 1. NBC DFW published that report.
Here is what is still open, with addresses from each business's own listing:
| Still operating | Address | How long, per the latest reporting |
|---|---|---|
| Knife Steakhouse | 6121 W. Park Blvd., Suite RS9 | Lease through 2038 |
| Mexican Bar Company | 2405 Dallas Pkwy., Suite RS-10 | Lease through 2038 |
| Equinox | 6109 W. Park Blvd. | Still operating; no end date reported |
| Crate & Barrel | 6113 W. Park Blvd. | Through Dec. 27, 2026 |
| North Texas Performing Arts | 6121 W. Park Blvd., Suite B216 | Until its move to 2819 W. 15th St. |
| Indoor walking | Parking Deck D or The District | Through early 2027 |
The rest of the building had been emptying long before August. Macy's left in 2025, and Dillard's closed earlier in 2026. Crayola Experience, at 6121 W. Park Blvd., Suite A100, had its last day on Feb. 6, according to Community Impact. By the time the doors closed, only a handful of tenants were left.
Choosing a door
Here is what each remaining business lists for location and hours:
- Dinner at Knife or Mexican Bar Company. The mall's notice places both near The District entrance. Knife's website says its dining room and valet are unaffected by construction. Mexican Bar Company offers free valet Thursday through Saturday nights.
- A morning walk. Use Parking Deck D and the NTPA entrance on levels 1 or 2, or the District entrance near the two restaurants. That arrangement is expected to last through early 2027.
- A class or show at NTPA. The Plano location is listed as Willow Bend Center of the Arts, Suite B216, on the second floor through the Chapel Hill entrance.
- A workout. Equinox is at 6109 W. Park Blvd. It's open Monday through Thursday from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., and weekends from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Home goods. Crate & Barrel is at 6113 W. Park Blvd. Its store page lists hours of 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. D Magazine reported that the store will stay through Dec. 27.
The mall's walking notice lists those two routes for walkers only, so don't assume they're the right way into every business. For dinner, the restaurants' own valet is the simplest way in.
The restaurants with the longest leases
Knife and Mexican Bar Company both signed 20-year leases in October 2018 that run through 2038, according to WFAA. That's longer than any timeline reported so far for the arena district, so they are the only tenants planning to stay through the whole project. WFAA described Mexican Bar Company's menu as Mexican food with a French flair and said Knife is known for steaks dry-aged in an on-site vault.
Their biggest problem isn't construction. It's that people assume they've closed. Knife owner and managing partner George Stergios told KERA's NTX Now on Oct. 20:
"People forget about us and people are lumping us in with what's coming, assuming we're already closed or going to be closed, which is not the case."
In the same interview, he said much of Knife's weekday business comes from out-of-state visitors and corporate dinners. Both restaurants list their schedules online:
- Knife Steakhouse: lunch daily from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dinner runs from 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 5 to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The bar opens at 4 p.m., with happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. on weekdays. Live jazz plays on Friday nights, and a whiskey flight changes monthly. Knife is booking holiday parties now. Its main private room seats 50, or 60 standing, and the Butcher Room seats 12.
- Mexican Bar Company: open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to midnight, Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Weekend brunch runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Latin dance nights start at 10 p.m. on Saturdays. The restaurant is promoting a Thanksgiving meal with turkey prepared three ways and gluten-free options, along with private rooms for holiday and corporate events.
Mexican Bar Company's website says the restaurant will stay open through demolition and redevelopment and plans to be there for the Dallas Stars' first game, which it expects in fall 2031. WFAA reported that the larger change isn't expected until around 2030. Neither date comes from an official project schedule, so both are the restaurants' own expectations. For now, as WFAA reported, both restaurants rely on regulars, events and private parties.
The tenants with shorter timelines
The two restaurants have the longest timeline. The other tenants are on much shorter ones.
North Texas Performing Arts is between locations. In mid-October, NTPA's homepage still listed Willow Bend Center of the Arts as its Plano address. In July, Community Impact reported that the group will move to 2819 W. 15th St. That report said construction was expected to begin in August, theater build-out was expected by Dec. 1, and performances in the new space were expected to start in January. The new building is planned with four stages, six dance and rehearsal studios, practice rooms and a set-building shop. Those were projections made in July, so check NTPA's ticketing page before you plan around a show at either address.
Crate & Barrel is the next scheduled departure, with D Magazine reporting Dec. 27 as its last day at the mall. KERA described the same timing as the end of December.
Indoor walking follows in early 2027. That date comes from the mall's notice.
Some tenants left without a confirmed new address. In April, Local Profile reported that The Movie Institute had been asked to leave by Aug. 31 and was considering a move to Dallas.
Why the schedules differ
The staggered dates come from the redevelopment. The Dallas Stars' proposed arena and entertainment district on the Willow Bend site is being developed with Centennial, Levin Holdings and Cawley Partners, according to the team's letter-of-intent announcement. KERA's Oct. 14 coverage reported that the plan pairs an arena of about $1 billion with $2 billion more for the surrounding district. Proposition A, a venue-tax measure tied to the project's financing, was on Plano's Nov. 3 ballot. City leaders are scheduled to get their next project update on Dec. 8. WFAA reported that demolition plans hadn't been finalized and that the two restaurant owners didn't yet know which existing structures would come down.
We covered how this site and Plano's other mall redevelopments fit into the housing picture in our look at the city's three mall-to-neighborhood projects. For the next few months, the open parts of the property are easy to list. You can have dinner at either restaurant, work out at Equinox, shop Crate & Barrel through Dec. 27, take a class or see a show at NTPA until its move, and walk indoors through Parking Deck D or The District. For a holiday gathering by the old mall entrance, Knife is booking holiday parties and Mexican Bar Company is promoting private rooms for holiday events.
Living near Willow Bend means tracking a site that will change for years. If you'd like help understanding what the redevelopment could mean for a home nearby, Katie Chu Group follows the project closely and can walk you through it. Schedule a consultation when you're ready.
