Florin Towne Centre

Florin Towne Centre is an outdoor retail center in the Florin area of Sacramento County, California, with a Sacramento mailing address. The center opened in 2008 after the enclosed Florin Mall was closed and demolished. Its approximately 484,500-square-foot footprint is substantially smaller and more open than that of its predecessor, with much of the former mall site converted into parking and space for Walmart and neighboring businesses. The property is the latest commercial development on a site whose retail history began with Florin Center, later known as Florin Mall. The original mall opened in February 1968 on approximately 70 acres of land formerly used as Sky Ranch Airfield. Developed by the James J. Cordano Company and Blumenfield Enterprises, it was the Sacramento area’s first fully enclosed shopping mall built from the ground up. Its initial department-store anchors included Sacramento-based Weinstock’s, Sears, and JCPenney. A 1978 addition increased the enclosed center’s gross leasable area, and the mall became an important retail destination on Sacramento’s south side. Florin Mall later experienced a long decline. Competition from other Sacramento-area destinations, a deteriorating physical environment, store closures, and a reputation for crime weakened its position. Weinstock’s closed in 1996 after its parent company chose not to convert the location to Macy’s. JCPenney later became an outlet store and closed in 2003, leaving Sears as the only remaining traditional anchor. The mall was purchased in 2005, closed permanently on February 28, 2006, and was demolished in July of that year, although Sears, its automotive center, and several outparcels initially remained. Construction of Florin Towne Centre began soon afterward. Mervyn’s was the first store to open in the replacement development, on March 6, 2008, but the retailer closed the following year when the chain ceased operations. A 24 Hour Fitness location also opened during the center’s early development. Walmart opened on June 17, 2009, replacing a nearby Walmart store, and PetSmart opened on November 12, 2011. Other occupants over time have included America's Best Contacts & Eyeglasses, GameStop, GNC, Mattress Firm, Shoe Palace, Starbucks, Verizon, and other service and specialty retailers. The center’s tenant mix has continued to change. AutoZone opened in 2019 in part of the former Mervyn’s space. BioLife and the discount retailer Falling Prices later occupied other portions of that building. The original Sears building, the last major remnant of the former Florin Mall, closed in January 2019 after Sears announced the location as part of a nationwide round of closures. In 2021, 24 Hour Fitness closed, and Chuze Fitness replaced it in 2023. Florin Towne Centre therefore functions as a contemporary multi-tenant shopping and service center rather than as a traditional enclosed regional mall.

The commercial property now known as Florin Towne Centre occupies a site with roots in Sacramento’s postwar suburban expansion. Before retail development, the land was used as Sky Ranch Airfield. The James J. Cordano Company and Blumenfield Enterprises subsequently developed a large enclosed shopping mall on approximately 70 acres, about eight miles southeast of downtown Sacramento. Originally called Florin Center and later Florin Mall, the complex opened in February 1968. Florin Mall was the Sacramento area’s first fully enclosed shopping mall built from the ground up. Its principal original anchors were Weinstock’s, Sears, and JCPenney. Weinstock’s, a Sacramento-based department-store chain, held its grand opening at the property on October 9, 1967, ahead of the mall’s wider opening. Sears occupied a two-level building of approximately 259,000 square feet, while JCPenney occupied a two-level building of about 125,000 square feet. Nearby but separate commercial properties included Montgomery Ward, Zody’s, and White Front, later associated with other retail formats. The mall expanded only once. A single-level addition of approximately 46,600 square feet was completed in 1978 at the main entrance, increasing the center’s gross leasable area to roughly 667,000 square feet. For a period, Florin Mall surpassed Southgate Plaza as the leading mall-type commercial destination on Sacramento’s south side. The property also had political and civic visibility: Senator Robert F. Kennedy made a campaign stop at the recently opened mall on March 23, 1968, during the 1968 United States presidential campaign. By the 1980s and early 1990s, the mall’s image had deteriorated. Reports associated the complex with shootings, stabbings, vehicle theft, and gang activity. Shoppers increasingly favored competing destinations such as Arden Fair, Downtown Plaza, and Sunrise Mall. Renovations, including a 1989 remodeling of Weinstock’s and a broader mall facelift in the latter part of 1990, did not reverse the decline. The 1991 hostage crisis at a neighboring Good Guys! electronics store further shaped public perceptions of the property. Four perpetrators held 41 people hostage; three hostages died and 14 were injured. The anchor base weakened during the 1990s and early 2000s. Federated Department Stores acquired Weinstock’s in August 1995 and elected to close the Florin location rather than convert it to Macy’s. The store shut in March 1996. JCPenney was converted into an outlet format in November 1998 and closed in 2003, leaving Sears as the only traditional anchor operating within the mall. In October 2005, much of the property was purchased by San Francisco developer Jim Kessler and Prudential Insurance Company. Florin Mall closed permanently on February 28, 2006, after 38 years of operation, and the main mall structure, including the former Weinstock’s and JCPenney buildings, was demolished in July 2006. Sears, its auto center, and five outparcels initially remained. The replacement development was built as an open-air center rather than as another enclosed mall. It adopted the Florin Towne Centre name and began opening stores in 2008. Mervyn’s opened on March 6, 2008, but closed in February 2009 when the entire chain went out of business. The vacant space was used intermittently by seasonal retailers before later receiving permanent occupants. 24 Hour Fitness also opened during the center’s early years. Walmart began operating at the property on June 17, 2009, and PetSmart opened on November 12, 2011, in a building initially intended for Old Navy. The center developed a broad tenant mix combining national chains, restaurants, services, and specialty retailers. Listed occupants over time have included America's Best Contacts & Eyeglasses, GameStop, GNC, Mattress Firm, Shoe Palace, Starbucks, Verizon, and other businesses. In 2015, Sears Holdings transferred the Florin Sears property to Seritage Growth Properties as part of a larger spin-off of 235 properties. Sears later announced the store’s closure on October 15, 2018, and the location closed in January 2019, ending the last major physical connection between the open-air center and the former Florin Mall. The former Mervyn’s building was gradually reused in the early 2020s, including by BioLife, a plasma donation center, and the local discount retailer Falling Prices. 24 Hour Fitness closed in 2021, and Chuze Fitness opened in its place in 2023. Florin Towne Centre currently represents the site’s transition from a large enclosed regional mall to a smaller, service-oriented open-air shopping center focused on everyday needs in the southern Sacramento market.

• 2023

  Chuze Fitness replaces 24 Hour Fitness

  [1]Florin Towne Centreen.wikipedia.org

  Chuze Fitness opened after 24 Hour Fitness left the center in 2021.

• 2019

  Sears closes and AutoZone arrives

  [1]Florin Towne Centreen.wikipedia.org

  Sears closed in January, while AutoZone opened in part of the former Mervyn’s building during the year.

• 2015

  Sears property transferred to Seritage

  [1]Florin Towne Centreen.wikipedia.org

  Sears Holdings included the Florin Sears property in its spin-off of 235 properties to Seritage Growth Properties.

• 2011

  PetSmart opens

  [1]Florin Towne Centreen.wikipedia.org

  PetSmart opened on November 12 in a building originally intended for Old Navy.

• 2009

  Mervyn’s closes and Walmart opens

  [1]Florin Towne Centreen.wikipedia.org

  Mervyn’s closed after its chain-wide liquidation, while Walmart opened at the center on June 17.

• 2008

  Florin Towne Centre opens

  [1]Florin Towne Centreen.wikipedia.org

  The replacement open-air shopping center began operations, with Mervyn’s opening on March 6.

• 2006

  Florin Mall is demolished

  [1]Florin Towne Centreen.wikipedia.org

  After closing in February, the main enclosed mall was fully demolished in July.

• 2003

  JCPenney closes

  [1]Florin Towne Centreen.wikipedia.org

  The former JCPenney location closed, leaving Sears as the mall’s sole remaining traditional anchor.

• 1996

  Weinstock’s closes

  [1]Florin Towne Centreen.wikipedia.org

  The Weinstock’s anchor closed after its corporate owner decided not to convert the store to Macy’s.

• 1978

  Main entrance expansion

  [1]Florin Towne Centreen.wikipedia.org

  A roughly 46,600-square-foot addition increased the enclosed center’s gross leasable area.

• 1968

  Florin Mall opens

  [1]Florin Towne Centreen.wikipedia.org

  Florin Center, later called Florin Mall, opened in February as Sacramento’s first purpose-built fully enclosed shopping mall.

• 1968

  Robert F. Kennedy campaign stop

  [1]Florin Towne Centreen.wikipedia.org

  Senator Robert F. Kennedy visited the newly opened mall during the 1968 presidential campaign.

• 1967

  Weinstock’s opens ahead of the mall

  [1]Florin Towne Centreen.wikipedia.org

  The Sacramento-based Weinstock’s department store held its grand opening at the future Florin Mall site on October 9, 1967.

A large, open-air neighborhood and community shopping center serving the southern Sacramento market through value retail, everyday services, food and beverage, automotive, fitness, and specialty tenants.

• General merchandise and grocery anchor · 2009

  Walmart

  Walmart is one of Florin Towne Centre’s principal anchors, providing general merchandise, household products, groceries, apparel, health-related goods, and other everyday retail categories. The store opened at the center on June 17, 2009, replacing an earlier Walmart location west of the property.

• Automotive retail · 2019

  AutoZone

  AutoZone occupies part of the former Mervyn’s building and supplies automotive replacement parts, accessories, maintenance products, and related customer services. Its arrival in 2019 helped convert a long-vacant department-store space into a more service-oriented retail use.

• Pet retail and services · 2011

  PetSmart

  PetSmart provides pet food, supplies, equipment, and associated services. The store opened in November 2011 in a building adjacent to the former Mervyn’s location that had originally been planned for Old Navy.

• Fitness · 2023

  Chuze Fitness

  Chuze Fitness is the center’s current major fitness tenant. It replaced 24 Hour Fitness after that operator closed its location in 2021, continuing the property’s role as a destination for recurring health and wellness services.

• Food-service supply retail

  US Foods CHEF'STORE

  US Foods CHEF'STORE is listed among the center’s principal anchors and serves food-service professionals and other customers with bulk food, ingredients, restaurant supplies, and related commercial products.

• Plasma donation and health services

  BioLife

  BioLife occupies part of the former Mervyn’s space as a plasma donation center, reflecting the continuing conversion of the former department-store building into a mixture of retail and service uses.

• 1991

  Good Guys! hostage crisis

  Four perpetrators held 41 people hostage at a Good Guys! electronics store adjacent to Florin Mall. Three hostages died and 14 were injured. Although the store was adjacent to rather than part of the mall property, the incident became closely associated with the center’s public image and its troubled period.

  Source

• 1980

  Deteriorating public-safety reputation

  During the 1980s and early 1990s, Florin Mall became associated in local accounts with shootings, stabbings, vehicle theft, and gang activity. The negative reputation contributed to declining customer traffic and increased competition from other Sacramento-area retail destinations.

  Source

Read more

• 1968Robert F. Kennedy presidential campaign stop

  Sacramento area · United States

  Senator Robert F. Kennedy made a campaign appearance at Florin Mall on March 23, 1968, shortly after the center opened. The visit gave the new shopping complex visibility beyond its retail role during the 1968 presidential campaign.

  Outcome. The event became a notable historical moment associated with the original Florin Mall.

  Source

• 2021

  Fitness tenant transitionGeneration change

  Background

  24 Hour Fitness closed its location at the center in 2021.

  Action taken

  The fitness space was subsequently occupied by Chuze Fitness, which opened in 2023.

  Aftermath

  The change preserved a fitness anchor within the center while replacing one national operator with another.

  Source

• 2015

  Sears real-estate spin-offM&A

  Background

  Sears Holdings separated a large group of owned real-estate assets from its retail operations.

  Action taken

  The Sears property at Florin Towne Centre was included among 235 properties spun off to Seritage Growth Properties.

  Aftermath

  The transaction separated the store’s real-estate ownership from Sears Holdings’ retail business before the store later closed.

  Source

• 2008

  Launch of Florin Towne CentreProduct launch

  Background

  Following the 2006 demolition of Florin Mall, the property required a new format and tenant plan.

  Action taken

  An open-air center was constructed, with Mervyn’s opening as its first store on March 6, 2008.

  Aftermath

  The center established a new operating identity, although Mervyn’s closed in February 2009 during the retailer’s chain-wide liquidation.

  Source

• 2006

  Replacement of enclosed mall with open-air centerStrategy

  Background

  Florin Mall had lost major tenants, suffered from a deteriorating reputation, and closed in February 2006.

  Action taken

  The mall was demolished and the site was redeveloped as a smaller open-air shopping center named Florin Towne Centre.

  Aftermath

  The redevelopment shifted the property from regional enclosed-mall retail toward value-oriented stores, services, and stand-alone anchor tenants.

  Source

• 1995

  Weinstock’s location is not converted to Macy’sStrategy

  Background

  After Federated Department Stores acquired Weinstock’s, the Florin Mall location was evaluated as part of the chain’s broader brand portfolio.

  Action taken

  The location was closed in March 1996 rather than converted into a Macy’s store.

  Aftermath

  The closure was widely treated as a major turning point in the mall’s decline because it removed one of its principal anchors.

  Source

1. 1Florin Towne Centreen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Florin Towne Centre official websiteflorintownecentre.com