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, so figuring out when the sun was setting was still possible.
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| Solano Mall postcard view, circa 1981, showcasing early lighting design and architectural style. |
Vintage directory: a snapshot of the ’80s
Here’s a scan of a 1985 mall directory, showing the original layout with Sears still in its first location and before Edwards Cinema was added to the upper level. For those of us who grew up shopping here, it’s a trip down memory lane. Who else misses Chess King?
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| The vibrant front cover of the 1985 Solano Mall directory captures peak ’80s mall culture—big hair, bold fashion, bright shopping bags, and food court favorites. |
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| 1985 directory of Solano Mall, Fairfield, showing early anchor placements and inline stores. |
Shifting anchors and changing times
After Macy’s acquired Emporium-Capwell in 1996, they shuttered the Emporium location instead of converting it. That same space was soon taken over by Sears, which moved from its original end of the mall. The old Sears spot was later split into Best Buy (on the lower level) and Edwards Cinema (on the upper).
The evolution didn’t stop there. When Westfield took over, they began a long-term effort to modernize the mall—painting over the once-bold railings with neutral tones, replacing the triangular light covers with white ones, and preserving the now-iconic white ceilings and flooring. Unlike many colorful Bay Area malls from the same era, Solano’s muted palette proved timeless.
2011 renovations and food court refresh
By 2011, the mall was entering its 30s—and Westfield had given it some serious TLC. A brand-new food court opened near JC Penney on the upper level, modern sky bridges were installed, and the floors were refreshed again. With over 169 retailers, Solano Mall finally looked and felt comparable to other Westfield properties in the region.
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| Interior of Solano Mall after 2011 Westfield renovations, featuring new flooring and updated skylights. |
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| The long-standing JC Penney store at Solano Mall, part of the original anchor lineup since 1981. |
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| Skylights after the Westfield-era remodel brought in clean lines and brighter tones. The once-colorful triangular light panels were swapped for a minimalist white, giving the ceiling a lighter, more modern feel while preserving the mall’s signature geometric look. |
From Westfield to what’s next?
Despite the upgrades, Westfield eventually sold off the property, closing its chapter in Solano Mall's history. Still, the mall endures—retail is open, the food court is busy, and the skylights still flood the walkways with natural light.
For some of us, Solano Mall was more than just a shopping center. It was where we got our first haircuts at Supercuts, browsed cassettes at Musicland, or nervously picked out a Valentine's Day card in junior high. The mall might change—but the memories stick.
Share your story
Did you shop at Solano Mall in the ’80s, ’90s, or 2000s? Did you catch a movie upstairs or snag a sale at Mervyn’s? We’d love to hear your memories of this Fairfield classic.
Comments
I vaguely remember seeing the Emporium-Capwell sign change to the newer (and lastly used) "Emporium" nameplate before Macy's gobbled them up. Perhaps that was NewPark.
I'm definitely sure it wasn't a Weinstocks. I have an advertisement from 1984 with the Emporium-Capwell locations (somewhere on this blog).
A was pretty sure that JC Penney was not onsite before the mall was built. Perhaps it moved from another location in Fairfield?
Dean,
If I didn't know better, I'd swear you were talking about a different mall?
Scott
Randy is right. I was truly surprised about JC Penney! Although Westfield didn't have the exact opening date, they said Penney's opened "pre-1981."
Well done Randy!
Scott
I'll be posting a mall directory shortly.
Scott
I'm sure that a mall was on the drawing boards but for some reason was delayed. Since Penneys was on the furthest end of the site from I-80, for many years it appeared from the freeway as this huge structure in the middle of an open field. I don't even think they had an exterior entrance to what would now be the mall itself.
There had been a small JCPenney on North Texas St in downtown Fairfield no more than a block or two from the "Fairfield" sign that hung over the street(and likely still does). That store closed when the Solano Mall store opened.
If you check postcards on Ebay from time to time, you'll likely run across a photo of it.
I remember the mall itself having very colorful mosaic tiled planters and seating walls inside. There were also several colorful flying "contraptions" hanging from the ceiling. I think those are all gone now.
I remember that the mall had these janky looking Wright Brothers era planes as decoration at each end in front of an anchor. Your postcard vaguely shows the one in front of Mervyns.
I love the 80's era malls with the bright orange and yellow colors that would bounce off the white lights and give it that mood lighting that just does not exist in the malls of today. For that matter, I really enjoyed the lighting of old arcades in malls. The Gold Mine in Solano was no different.
I miss the wooden handrails and the black banisters they sat on. I hate the subdued black-white-grey look of the mall now.
The old Sears building was completely demolished and they redesigned the entrances around it, so yes, that is all "new". Also, when they put in the Old Navy in the area where Arbys used to be (in your directory it is a Rax Restaurant), they reconfigured that whole end as well.
I love looking at this postcard. If you have anymore, please post it. Vintage pictures of malls make me feel like a kid again. I miss walking into an old KayBee and buying a generic Transformers toy while stopping by the Orange Julius on my way to Comix and Comix.
Those were the days.
Great site! Keep up the good work.