Florin Towne Centre

Florin Mall (originally named Florin Center) was built by the James J. Cordano Company and Blumenfield Enterprises. The single-level center was situated on 70 acres (280,000 m²), 8 miles (13 km) southeast of downtown Sacramento. It was the Sacramento area's first fully enclosed shopping mall built from the ground up. The site had previously been utilized as the Sky Ranch Airfield.

The mall was opened in February 1968 and was anchored by a 3-level, 157,000 square foot (14,600 m²), Sacramento-based Weinstock's, which held its grand opening October 9, 1967. The mall also included a 2-level, 259,000 square foot (24,100 m²) Sears and a 2-level, 125,000 square foot (11,600 m²) JCPenney. Surrounding the mall were Montgomery Ward (now Burlington), Zody's and a White Front discount store. On March 23, 1968 during the 1968 US presidential campaign, Senator Robert F Kennedy made a campaign stop at the recently opened Florin Mall.

The only physical expansion of the 620,400 square foot (57,640 m²) shopping center was completed in 1978. A 1-level, 46,600 square foot (4,330 m²) addition was built at the main entrance at the front of the mall, increasing its gross leasable area to 667,000 square feet (62,000 m²).

As the second mall-type center on Sacramento's south side, it eclipsed its nearest commercial competitor, Southgate Plaza. The former White Front store became Price Club in 1982.

By the 1980s, Florin Mall was becoming rather notorious as a haven for shootings, stabbings and car thefts. Local gangs had made the complex a regular hangout spot by the early 1990s. Customers began wafting to other frequent regional centers, such as Arden Fair Mall, Downtown Plaza and Sunrise Mall. A remodeling of Weinstock's in 1989 and a facelift renovation of the mall proper in the second half of 1990 did little to dispel the negative image that the center had taken on, especially in 1991 when four perpetrators took 41 people hostage at a Good Guys! electronics store that was adjacent to the mall. It resulted in the deaths of three hostages, injuring 14 others and remains, to this day, the largest hostage rescue operation in U.S. history.

In 1994, Price Club relocated to South Sacramento (now Costco). With the acquisition of Weinstock's by Federated Department Stores in August 1995, it was decided that the Florin Mall location be shuttered rather than converting it to Macy's. The store closed in March 1996. This was seen as the first significant decline to Florin Mall. JCPenney was converted to an outlet store in November 1998. The store was shuttered in 2003, leaving Sears as the sole anchor of the mall.[1]

In a state of disrepair for some time, the bulk of Florin Mall was purchased by San Francisco's Jim Kessler and Prudential Insurance Company in October 2005.[2] The mall closed on February 28, 2006.[3] It was fully demolished in July 2006 (including the former JCPenney and Weinstock's anchors) leaving Sears, its Auto Center, and five outparcels standing.

Mervyn's opened on March 6, 2008 and was the first store to open at Florin Towne Centre. The store was shuttered in February 2009 when the entire chain went out of business. It sat vacant the majority of the time (aside from temporary usage for seasonal retailers such as Halloween City) until 2019 when AutoZone opened in a portion of the former Mervyn's.[4] Walmart opened on June 17, 2009, replacing a former store 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the west (the old store re-opened six years later as Walmart's Neighborhood Market format in 2015, occupying only half of the old store's original footprint, but later closed in 2019). PetSmart opened on November 12, 2011 in a building adjacent to the former Mervyn's that was originally intended for Old Navy, but never opened.[5] Other retailers include Eyeglass World, GameStop, GNC, Starbucks, and Verizon Wireless. The Florin Towne Centre has a total area of 484,500 sq ft (45,010 m²).[6]

In 2015, Sears Holdings spun off 235 of its properties, including the Sears at the Florin Towne Centre, into Seritage Growth Properties.[7]

On October 15, 2018, it was announced that Sears would be closing as part of a plan to close 142 stores nationwide.[8] Sears was the only remnant and remaining anchor from the former Florin Mall that continued to operate until its closure.

• 24 Hour Fitness (34,000 square feet (3,200 m²), opened 2008)
• AutoZone (40,000 square feet (3,700 m²), opened 2019)
• PetSmart (17,900 square feet (1,660 m²), opened 2011)
• Smart Foodservice Warehouse Stores (22,000 square feet (2,000 m²), opened 2019)
• Walmart Supercenter (218,500 square feet (20,300 m²), opened 2009)

• JCPenney / JCPenney Outlet Store (125,000 square feet (11,600 m²), opened 1968, closed 2003)
• Mervyn's (80,000 square foot (7,400 m²), opened 2008, closed 2009)
• Sears (259,000 square feet (24,100 m²), opened 1968, closed 2018)
• Weinstock's (157,000 square foot (14,600 m²), opened 1967, closed 1996)