BIGMallrat | lost malls, department stores, and Bay Area retail history

Before it became Solano Town Center, it was simply Solano Mall, and it opened its doors on March 19, 1981, bringing a fresh wave of suburban retail to Fairfield, California. Anchored initially by JCPenney, Mervyn’s, the mall soon grew to include Sears, Emporium-Capwell (March 1983) and Macy's (August 1985). Solano mall was the region’s go-to shopping hub and, for many, a weekend tradition.  A mall with style (and skylights… sort of) Take a look at this early postcard from around the time of opening. It proudly displays the mall’s unique architectural features—particularly its triangular ceiling lights, styled in warm orange and burnt sienna hues. According to the postcard, Solano Mall was built to serve "an approximate population of 90,000," a detail that feels straight from a developer’s pitch deck. But don’t be fooled: those bright triangles in the ceiling weren’t skylights—just artificial lighting mimicking the effect. Thankfully, they were flanked by real skylights,...