associated with being a major mall anchor. Despite this, major retailers continued to leave the mall. The collapse of Montgomery Ward in 2000 along with the closing of Mervyn's in 2006 left Sunrise with two major anchor spaces vacant. A series of ownership and management changes left the mall mostly vacant by 2007, leaving a few non-traditional mall tenants such as an insurance agency, an unemployment office, and a medical clinic. Wilcox Furniture, a local chain, opened in late 2007, occupying a portion of the previous Montgomery Ward anchor store. Rapid Decline (2008–present) The mall fell into serious neglect in early 2008, including an incident in which the power was cut off by Reliant Energy due to the owner failing to pay the facility's electricity bill. After a brief legal battle and a bankruptcy filing, the mall was foreclosed upon in September 2008, but was still open and running with few businesses open. In November 2018, news stations reported that more tenants were told to leave by the end of the month. It was unknown if the mall would close, leaving the major tenants who own their property open. On August 31, 2019, it was announced that Sears would be closing this location a part of a plan to close 92 stores nationwide. The store closed in December 2019. Sunrise Mall Today New Ownership and Revitalization Attempt Sunrise Mall was purchased at a foreclosure auction by Laredo, Texas-based IBC Bank, the mall's largest creditor, in September 2008. A new management team was brought in to revitalize the facility and to market the mall to new tenants. Many improvements had been made, including a new air conditioning system and a professional security staff. Notably, the fountains, which were prominently featured in the film The Legend of Billie Jean, had been restored to working condition after years of being inoperable. Anchor tenant Sears closed in December 2019. Wilcox Furniture announced their closure in March 2021, while Burlington announced that their store would close and relocate to the nearby Moore Plaza shopping center in fall 2021. Decline & eventual closure By June 2018, the mall had become nearly dead, albeit clean and well-maintained, but housing very few active businesses. The mall's escalators were shut down, leaving only a few elevators and staircases to help people to the second floor. The upstairs food court had been reduced to one open restaurant. Among the major