Indio Fashion Mall
Retailer / private label
UnclaimedA former enclosed shopping mall in Indio, California, later converted into the Indio Grand Marketplace and targeted for mixed-use redevelopment.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Indio Fashion Mall was an enclosed shopping mall in Indio, California. It opened on February 24, 1975, on a 17-acre parcel and provided approximately 215,000 square feet of retail space. The development initially combined a 60,000-square-foot Harris Company department store, a Sears department store, and roughly 40 smaller mall shops, giving the Coachella Valley community a conventional regional shopping destination. The mall's department-store anchors changed over time. The Harris Company location became Harris Gottschalks in 1999, while Sears remained the other principal anchor until its closure in 2004. Sears relocated to Westfield Palm Desert, weakening the mall's ability to draw customers. The Harris-Gottschalks store subsequently closed in 2009. With both major anchors gone, the property experienced a prolonged decline in occupancy and commercial relevance. By 2017, approximately 70 percent of the mall's storefronts were vacant. On February 28, 2018, Los Angeles-based developer Haagen Company purchased the mall and its lot with the stated intention of redeveloping the property. The existing building was subsequently operated under the name Indio Grand Marketplace, an indoor swap meet featuring lower-priced independent retailers and food outlets. This use represented a shift from an anchored regional mall toward a smaller-scale, value-oriented marketplace. The redevelopment concept calls for demolition or substantial removal of the existing mall interiors and construction of a mixed-use project across the original site and an adjacent 20-acre parcel. Plans described for the project include retail stores, casual dining, entertainment uses, as many as 400 residential units, and a hotel. Later descriptions characterized the former mall as defunct, with only one tenant remaining and the owner seeking to relocate that tenant before demolishing the interior mall structure. The former Gottschalks and Sears buildings were expected to be retained for possible adaptive reuse. Phase 1 of the redevelopment was reported as under construction along Highway 111 by August 2026.
History
Indio Fashion Mall opened in Indio, California, on February 24, 1975. The enclosed shopping center occupied a 17-acre site and contained approximately 215,000 square feet of retail space. Its original commercial model was based on large department-store anchors supported by smaller specialty shops. A 60,000-square-foot Harris Company store served as one anchor, while Sears occupied another major position. Approximately 40 additional mall shops filled out the center's retail mix. The Harris anchor later changed identity. In 1999, the Harris Company store became Harris Gottschalks, reflecting the operation of the Gottschalks department-store chain. The mall nevertheless remained dependent on its anchor stores for customer traffic. Sears closed in 2004 and moved to Westfield Palm Desert. The Harris-Gottschalks store closed in 2009, leaving the center without its original department-store foundation. The loss of the anchors accelerated the property's decline. By 2017, about 70 percent of the storefronts were vacant. On February 28, 2018, Haagen Company, a Los Angeles-based developer, purchased the mall and the surrounding lot. The acquisition was associated with plans to replace or substantially redevelop the aging shopping-center property rather than restore it as a conventional enclosed mall. During the interim, the building operated as Indio Grand Marketplace. Its tenant mix consisted primarily of independent, lower-priced retailers and food outlets in an indoor swap-meet format. This represented a functional transformation from a department-store-anchored shopping center into a value-oriented marketplace. The property was later described as defunct, with only one tenant remaining by December 2025. The owner planned to relocate the final occupant before removing the interior mall structure, while retaining the former Gottschalks and Sears buildings for potential reuse. The redevelopment program extends beyond the original mall parcel to include an adjacent 20-acre site. Proposed uses include retail, casual dining, entertainment, up to 400 residential units, and a hotel. The project therefore represents a shift from single-purpose enclosed retail toward a mixed-use district organized around commercial, residential, and hospitality activity. By August 2026, the first phase was reported to be under construction along Highway 111. The property's history reflects the broader evolution of American shopping centers: an anchored mall opened in the 1970s, declined after department-store closures, adopted a lower-cost interim retail format, and ultimately became the subject of mixed-use redevelopment.
- 2026
Phase 1 redevelopment reported under construction
[1]The first phase of the planned mixed-use redevelopment is reported as under construction along Highway 111.
- 2025
Property described as defunct
[1]The former mall is described as having one remaining tenant, with plans to relocate that tenant before removing the interior mall structure.
- 2018
Haagen Company acquires the property
[1]Haagen Company purchases the mall and its lot with the intention of pursuing redevelopment.
- 2017
Vacancy reaches approximately 70 percent
[1]Most storefronts are reported to be vacant as the former enclosed mall continues to lose commercial activity.
- 2009
Harris-Gottschalks closes
[1]The mall's other major anchor closes, leaving the center without its original department stores.
- 2004
Sears closes and relocates
[1]Sears leaves the mall and relocates to Westfield Palm Desert.
- 1999
Harris store becomes Harris Gottschalks
[1]The original Harris Company department-store anchor changes to the Harris Gottschalks name.
- 1975
Indio Fashion Mall opens
[1]The mall opens on February 24 with approximately 215,000 square feet of retail space, Harris Company and Sears anchors, and about 40 other shops.
Products and positioning
Originally positioned as an anchored regional shopping mall serving Indio and the Coachella Valley, the property later shifted toward value retail, independent merchants, food outlets, and indoor swap-meet operations after the loss of its department-store anchors.
Enclosed shopping mall · 1975
Indio Fashion Mall
The original enclosed shopping-center development opened in 1975 with approximately 215,000 square feet of retail area. It combined two department-store anchors with about 40 smaller shops and served as a conventional regional retail destination for Indio and surrounding communities.
Indoor swap meet and value retail marketplace
Indio Grand Marketplace
The former mall building was later operated as an indoor swap meet under the Indio Grand Marketplace name. Its tenant base consisted of lower-priced independent retailers and food outlets rather than national department-store anchors.
Brand decisions
2018
Haagen Company acquires the mall propertyM&ABackground
The center had suffered extensive vacancy following the closure of its department-store anchors.
Action taken
Haagen Company purchased the mall and its lot and announced an intention to pursue eventual redevelopment.
Aftermath
The property moved from declining mall operations toward interim marketplace use and a proposed mixed-use project.
2004
Sears relocates from the mallStrategyBackground
Sears was one of the two principal department-store anchors at Indio Fashion Mall.
Action taken
The Sears store closed and moved to Westfield Palm Desert.
Aftermath
The mall lost a major source of customer traffic and anchor-store identity.
- Conversion to Indio Grand MarketplaceStrategy
Background
The enclosed mall had lost its principal department-store anchors and experienced substantial vacancy.
Action taken
The building was operated as an indoor swap meet with independent retailers and food outlets.
Aftermath
The property continued in a lower-cost, value-oriented retail format while longer-term redevelopment plans were developed.
- Plan for mixed-use redevelopmentStrategy
Background
The former mall had become commercially obsolete, and the owner controlled the original parcel plus an adjacent 20-acre property.
Action taken
The owner planned a project combining retail, casual dining, entertainment, up to 400 residential units, and a hotel. The former Gottschalks and Sears structures were identified for possible reuse.
Aftermath
The site transitioned toward redevelopment, with Phase 1 reported under construction along Highway 111 by August 2026.
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