Macy’s was always part of the backdrop of my youth—a department store anchor in more ways than one. But truthfully, I didn’t do much actual shopping there until I was older, armed with a slightly bigger paycheck and my very first Macy’s credit card (which, believe it or not, I still have tucked in a drawer somewhere).
Back in the ’80s, I was more of a window-shopper. I’d wander through the Tiger Shop, eyeing the latest in bold prints and shoulder pads, pretending I had places to wear them. But the real magic was up on the third floor. That’s where The Cellar served up all things culinary—gleaming cookware, gourmet gadgets, and fancy labels that made me feel like I might someday host a dinner party that didn’t involve frozen pizza.
I still remember my very first Macy’s purchase—an extravagance in red and white stripes. It was a Polo Ralph Lauren Oxford shirt, not the Chaps version or on sale (details that felt both rebellious and wildly sophisticated). At the time, it felt like a serious grown-up decision in a very grown-up store.
I didn’t totally grasp fashion—I just knew that shirt looked sharp, like something someone in Atherton might wear on the weekend. I wore it proudly, like armor stitched in confidence. And though I can’t recall exactly where I wore it first, I’ll never forget how it made me feel, folded crisply in that signature Macy’s bag: like I had arrived, or at least like I might be allowed in.
Here’s something I didn’t realize back then: it was actually kind of strange to find both Macy’s and Emporium-Capwell in the same mall. Even stranger? There was a spot in San Jose where Macy’s had its mall... and right next door, Emporium-Capwell had its mall—each with its own parking lot, as if the two were too grand to share.
Turns out, there was a reason for all that separation. Back in the 1950s, Macy’s wasn’t just opening stores—they were helping build the malls themselves. That’s why so many Bay Area shopping centers ended up with “Fair” in their names: Bay Fair, Valley Fair, Arden Fair—Macy’s fingerprints were all over them.
And if the mall was called a “Plaza” instead—think El Cerrito Plaza, Broadway Plaza, Almaden Plaza—chances are, that was Emporium-Capwell’s doing. The two were like rival developers, each laying claim to entire shopping ecosystems.
So the next time you pass an old sign or faded logo at one of those “fair” or “plaza” malls, remember: without Macy’s (and Emporium-Capwell trying to keep up), we might not have had the mall at all.
Macy's stores
Macy's Union Square (1945)
Macy's San Rafael (1953-1996)
Macy's had acquired Albert's stores in San Rafael and Richmond, and they officially became Macy's on February 24, 1953. It was located at 4th and Court in San Rafael. The store ran until Macy's parent company bought Emporium-Capwell, and in the process, closed the San Rafael store in January 1996. Although I had never visited this store, I do remember seeing "except San Rafael" constantly appearing in Macy's ads.
Macy's Richmond (1953-1973)
Another Albert's store that became Macy's on February 24, 1954. It was located at 10th and Macdonald in Richmond. The store closed January 6, 1973. Macy's had cited a move to the Hilltop Mall, once it opened (1976).
Macy's Hillsdale (1954)
Here's a fan-submitted copy of an ad in the San Mateo Times. It advertises the grand opening of Macy's Hillsdale on November 18, 1954.
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I love the artist's rendering, without the mall and with what looks like a field in the background. One can only picture what that may have been like. And free parking for over 12,000 cars!
Macy's Bay Fair (1957-2024)
Macy's opened in San Leandro on August 8, 1957. Bay Fair Mall opened a few months later. It operated until January 2024,
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| An ad for the grand opening of the Macy's at Bay Fair Shopping Center. |
Macy's Serramonte (1968)
Macy's opened at Daly City's Serramonte Mall on October 3, 1968.
Macy's Sunnyvale (1979)
Macy's opened at Sunnyvale Town Center on September 27, 1979.
Macy's Newark (1980-2025)
Macy's at Newark's NewPark Mall opened on August 6, 1980. Macy's closed in March of 2025.
Macy's Pleasanton (1980)
Macy's at Pleasanton's Stoneridge Mall opened on September 4, 1980.
Macy's Santa Rosa (1981)
Macy's opened at Santa Rosa Plaza in August 8, 1981.
Macy's Fairfield (1985)
Macy's opened at Fairfield's Solano Mall in 1985.
Macy's Corte Madera (1985)
Macy's opened at the new Village at Corte Madera mall in August of 1985.
Macy's Stonestown (1996-2018)
Macy's inherited this store when it bought Emporium-Capwell in 1996. It ran until March 2018.
Macy's Southland (1996)
Macy's inherited this store when Federated Department Stores (Macy's parent) acquired Broadway Stores (parent of Emporium-Capwell). When Emporium-Capwell was closed, it became Macy's in 1996. However, the building itself opened in 1972 as Liberty House and was designed by architect Avner Naggar.
Macy's Cupertino (1997-2015)
Macy's inherited this store when it bought Emporium-Capwell in 1996, but remained vacant until July 1997 when it became Macy's clearance center. Later in 1998, it upgraded to a full store. It remained open until March 15, 2015.
Macy's Roseville (2000)
Macy's opened at the Galleria at Roseville on August 19, 2000.
Macy's Capitola (2002)
Macy's opened in the site formerly occupied by JC Penney at Capitola Mall in April of 2002.
Comments
Hillsdale was actually the first Bay Area Macys opened from scratch. SF's was originally O'Connor & Moffat until Macys bought them the late 40's.
San Rafael and Richmond's were a small retailer named Albert's that had been acquired around 1952. And small stores they both were, as I remember ads with the disclaimer "All Macys except Richmond and San Rafael", usually for big ticket items they didn't carry. Richmond closed in 1973, but Downtown San Rafael hung in there until Federated's purchase of Emporium in '96; though in it's last years in was just a "home store".
Because Macys was relatively new to the region, I guess they thought buying out small community based stores was less risky. In fact, I read that they were looking at such a store in Downtown San Jose before deciding to do Valley Fair from scratch instead.
The Richmond store was originally quite larger than San Rafael's, having been assembled from several buildings in the same block at 10th and Macdonald Ave. My earliest recollections from the early 60's was that it carried most things except furniture and large appliances. However, I later saw old ads from the 50's indicating that at one time it carried those items as well(where they found room to put them is unknown)
The Richmond Macys also had a coffee shop that you could smell throughout most of the first floor.
But as you said, the store declined rapidly due to competition from the El Cerrito Plaza and as Downtown Richmond was no longer seen as a safe place to be. There was a big riot there in the late 60's after which things pretty much started shutting down. It was during this period that the "except Richmond" disclaimers started outnumbering San Rafael's
Still, by 1970 Macys, Penneys, and several other chains were still around, but by then Macys was down to one level and even a third of that was closed off. As soon as plans for Hilltop Mall were announced, Macys closed the downtown store even though Hilltop wouldn't open for three more years.
In contrast, JC Penney not only stayed Downtown until Hilltop opened but even remained for over a year after that, giving Richmond the brief distinction of having TWO Penney stores.
San Rafael did indeed expand into the Penneys next door and across the street into what I think had been a Woolworths. But even with those expansions, it still couldn't shake the occaisonal "All Macys except San Rafael" disclaimer. The opening of the Corte Madera store in the 80's would eventually convert San Rafael into just a home store, but when Federated took over Emporium and Macys got a store at Northgate Mall, Downtown San Rafael's Macys was finally put to bed.
Its found at archive.org; here's the link:
http://www.archive.org/details/Shopping1957