The vacant Sears store at Deerbrook Mall is set to be transformed into a sprawling entertainment complex named Score Entertainment. This nearly 150,000-square-foot venue will soon feature a diverse array of activities such as go-karting, laser tag, bowling, virtual reality experiences, and axe throwing, as reported by the Houston Business Journal. This project marks a significant shift in the retail landscape, illustrating a nationwide trend where traditional retail spaces are being reimagined as dynamic, experience-based destinations.
Score Entertainment, a family business, has confirmed plans to take over the Sears location, emphasizing its ambition to create Texas’ largest entertainment center. The transition from traditional retail to experiential entertainment represents a growing movement to breathe new life into mall anchor spaces, which have been vacated due to a broader decline in brick-and-mortar retail. The project will involve a $2 million renovation effort, with construction slated to begin on June 1, 2025, and completion expected by summer 2026. Houston-based Albany Studio has been appointed as the design firm to oversee the development.
The venue aims to foster a communal environment where families and friends can gather for leisure and recreation. Upon completion, Score Entertainment will offer attractions such as mini golf, a trampoline park, sports simulators, and a large arcade, alongside a bar and grill that promises classic American dishes with a modern twist. Additionally, the complex will feature two full-service bars offering over 15 different beers on tap and a sports bar ambiance with oversized screens.
The former Sears at Deerbrook Mall was shuttered in 2020, part of a broader series of closures nationwide, and has since remained vacant. Score Entertainment joins a suite of initiatives repurposing former Sears locations across the Greater Houston area. Notably, the Midtown Sears has been redeveloped into the Ion innovation hub, while Willowbrook Mall is seeing the construction of a Round1 entertainment venue in its former Sears space. These projects reflect a strategic pivot towards mixed-use and residential developments, as seen in other locations such as Garden Oaks and Greenspoint.
