El Monte Shopping Center

El Monte Shopping Center is a community shopping center in El Monte, California, located at 400 Peck Road immediately north of the San Bernardino Freeway. It opened in two principal phases in 1958 and 1959 and became the largest shopping center in El Monte for several decades. The center was designed around large-format anchor tenants and a collection of everyday retail, food, service, and specialty businesses serving the surrounding San Gabriel Valley community. At opening, its principal anchor was a 263,951-square-foot Sears department store accompanied by a 20,000-square-foot automotive center. Other early tenants included the 39,000-square-foot Food Giant supermarket, F. W. Woolworth, and Bond's clothing store. This initial tenant mix reflected the postwar suburban shopping-center model: a major department store drew regional traffic, while a supermarket, discount-oriented variety retailer, clothing store, and automotive operation provided recurring local services. In 1989, Katersky Financial acquired the center. Over subsequent decades, the property experienced substantial tenant turnover as retail formats and chains changed. A Home Club home-improvement superstore operated at the site before becoming associated with HomeBase and later the Longo Lexus dealership. The center also accommodated Tianguis, which was later replaced or reconfigured through Big Kmart, Sears Essentials, and an outlet-format Sears operation. Longo Toyota, Thrifty Drug Stores, Sizzler, Big 5 Sporting Goods, and other businesses were among the tenants identified during the center's later history. These changes show the property's adaptation from a traditional department-store center toward a more varied commercial complex combining retail, automotive, dining, and services. The Sears Outlet store closed in 2012. The vacant Sears Outlet and former Dearden's Furniture buildings were subsequently converted for use by Target, giving the property a new major anchor after the decline of the Sears retail portfolio. The former Thrifty Drug Stores location had later been used by Dearden's Furniture, illustrating another stage in the reuse of the center's older retail spaces. Today, the location functions as a community shopping center rather than as a conventional enclosed regional mall. Its listed tenants include Target, Planet Fitness, Wendy's, Jamba Juice, and other service and food businesses. Planned or future occupants identified for the site include Starbucks, Raising Cane's, and In-N-Out Burger. The center's significance is primarily local and historical: it has remained a recognizable commercial node in El Monte while repeatedly replacing older anchors and adapting its tenant mix to changing consumer habits.

El Monte Shopping Center was developed as a major postwar retail destination in El Monte, California. The center occupies a prominent site at 400 Peck Road, just north of the San Bernardino Freeway, giving it access to local neighborhoods and through-traffic. It opened in stages during 1958 and 1959 and became the largest shopping center in El Monte for many years. The original commercial plan relied on a large Sears department store as its principal anchor. The Sears building measured 263,951 square feet and was supported by a separate 20,000-square-foot automotive center. A 39,000-square-foot Food Giant supermarket, F. W. Woolworth five-and-dime store, and Bond's clothing store formed the initial supporting tenant group. This combination gave the center a broad everyday-shopping role, combining general merchandise, groceries, apparel, automotive services, and lower-priced variety goods. By 1989, Katersky Financial had acquired the property. The center's tenant roster subsequently reflected the changing retail landscape. Home Club operated as a home-improvement superstore before the location became associated with HomeBase and later with the Longo Lexus dealership. Tianguis was followed by other retail concepts, including Big Kmart, Sears Essentials, and a Sears Outlet format. Longo Toyota, Thrifty Drug Stores, Sizzler, Big 5 Sporting Goods, and Dearden's Furniture were also connected with the center at different points. The succession of tenants indicates that the property was repeatedly reconfigured rather than remaining tied to its original department-store identity. The Sears Outlet closed in 2012. The former Sears Outlet and Dearden's buildings were later converted to accommodate Target, creating a new large-scale anchor after the departure of older Sears-related operations. The property consequently moved toward a more contemporary community-shopping-center model, with a combination of national retailers, restaurants, fitness, and service businesses. The current site is identified as a community shopping center. Target, Planet Fitness, Wendy's, and Jamba Juice are among the operating or identified tenants, while Starbucks, Raising Cane's, and In-N-Out Burger have been identified as future or planned additions. The center's history illustrates the evolution of suburban retail property in Southern California: a postwar center built around a department store and supermarket became a flexible commercial site that reused older buildings and adjusted its tenant mix as anchor companies, retail formats, and consumer demand changed.

• 2012

  Sears Outlet closes

  [1]El Monte Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The Sears Outlet store closed, contributing to the later redevelopment and reuse of the center's former anchor space.

• 1989

  Acquisition by Katersky Financial

  [1]El Monte Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Katersky Financial acquired the shopping center during a period when it housed a broad mix of retail, automotive, dining, and service tenants.

• 1959

  Phased development completed

  [1]El Monte Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The center's opening program continued into 1959, establishing it as a major local shopping destination.

• 1958

  Initial opening

  [1]El Monte Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  El Monte Shopping Center began opening in phases, introducing a major Sears department store, an automotive center, Food Giant, Woolworth, and Bond's to the El Monte market.

• Conversion to Target

  [1]El Monte Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The former Sears Outlet and Dearden's buildings were subsequently converted into a Target store.

A locally significant, convenience-oriented community shopping center anchored by mass-market retail, food service, fitness, and other everyday consumer services.

• Department store · 1958

  Sears department store

  The original principal anchor was a 263,951-square-foot Sears department store, supported by a separate 20,000-square-foot automotive center. It gave the center a broad merchandise and service base from its opening period.

• Supermarket · 1958

  Food Giant

  Food Giant was one of the center's original anchors. Its approximately 39,000-square-foot supermarket supplied groceries and everyday household necessities, complementing the department-store and specialty-retail tenants.

• Mass-market retail

  Target

  Target occupies buildings formerly associated with the Sears Outlet and Dearden's Furniture. Its presence represents the center's later shift toward a contemporary mass-market anchor offering general merchandise, household goods, apparel, and everyday consumer products.

• Fitness services

  Planet Fitness

  Planet Fitness is an identified current tenant providing gym and fitness services, broadening the center's role beyond conventional merchandise retail.

• Restaurants and beverage service

  Food and beverage tenants

  The center includes food-service businesses such as Wendy's and Jamba Juice. Starbucks, Raising Cane's, and In-N-Out Burger have also been identified as future or planned occupants, subject to completion and opening.

• 2012

  Reuse of former anchor buildingsStrategy

  Background

  The Sears Outlet closed, and the former Dearden's and Sears Outlet buildings later became vacant.

  Action taken

  The two vacant buildings were converted for use by Target.

  Aftermath

  Target became a major contemporary anchor at the community shopping center.

  Source

• 1989

  Acquisition by Katersky FinancialM&A

  Background

  The shopping center was acquired during a period when its tenant mix included home improvement, grocery or general merchandise, automotive, pharmacy, dining, and sporting-goods businesses.

  Action taken

  Katersky Financial purchased the shopping center.

  Aftermath

  The property continued to experience tenant changes and format substitutions over the following decades.

  Source

1. 1El Monte Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org