Once the largest shopping center in East Contra Costa County, Somersville Towne Center traces the evolution of suburban retail in Antioch. Opening in 1968 as the County East Shopping Center, the center expanded repeatedly over the following decades—from an open-air shopping center to a regional mall and later a modernized retail destination—as developers worked to keep pace with the rapid growth of East County.
Somersville Towne Center began its life in late 1968 as the County East Shopping Center. Developed by Ernest W. Hahn, the original open-air center featured W.T. Grant, Safeway, and approximately 16 specialty shops, totaling 209,000 square feet—making it the largest shopping center in the region at the time. Just a year later, Montgomery Ward joined as a major anchor in 1969, further cementing the center’s growing importance.
Building a mall
Seeking to become a full-scale regional shopping destination, the center launched an ambitious expansion in 1972 that transformed the layout into a full mall. Completed in 1973, the redevelopment introduced a 600-foot-long open-air mall wing extending from the heart of the original center. Two new anchor stores were added: Mervyn’s, which opened a 60,000-square-foot store in July 1973—the 12th location for the fast-growing chain—and Sears, which relocated from its longtime downtown Antioch location on F Street into a 71,000-square-foot store within the new mall.
With the expansion, the center was renamed County East Mall, and its total footprint grew to approximately 450,000 square feet. Growth continued into the next decade, with JCPenney opening a major new location on the north end of the mall on March 30, 1977. This store replaced the former W.T. Grant space and marked JCPenney’s return to East County after its Pittsburg store was destroyed by fire in 1972.
Adapting to the enclosed mall era
By the mid-1980s, open-air malls were increasingly viewed as outdated as shoppers gravitated toward fully enclosed regional centers. To remain competitive, Macerich launched a $25 million redevelopment in 1988 that enclosed County East Mall and expanded it to approximately 540,000 square feet.
As part of this renovation, Gottschalks opened in 1989 as a fourth anchor, joining Sears, JCPenney, and Mervyn’s. Neon signage, skylit corridors, and seasonal events contributed to the mall’s identity as both a retail destination and a local landmark.
Competition in a changing retail market
In the 1990s, the mall began to show signs of decline. JCPenney exited in 1997, following shifting demographics and increased competition from nearby shopping centers and big-box stores. While the mall attempted to maintain traffic with a variety of smaller shops, its prominence began to fade. Vacancy rates rose, and the loss of JCPenney marked the beginning of a slow downturn.
A new name and investment
To combat years of dwindling foot traffic and dated infrastructure, the mall underwent a cosmetic renovation in 2004 and was rebranded as Somersville Towne Center. The update included refreshed interiors, exterior signage, and landscaping aimed at modernizing the experience for a new generation of shoppers.
The arrival of Macy's in 2004 on the site of the former JCPenney demonstrated that Somersville remained important enough to attract major investment even as many older regional malls struggled to remain competitive.
By 2009, both Mervyn’s and Gottschalks—two longtime anchors—had shuttered. Their departure left significant gaps not only in square footage but in consumer draw. Though Macy’s and Sears remained, the mall struggled to fill its vacancies and recapture its earlier energy.
The decline of the department store model
Despite efforts to keep the mall alive, the 2010s were marked by decline of the department store model. Retail tenants came and went, and national chains continued to consolidate or close. Sears and Macy's remained open for part of the decade but eventually succumbed to the broader collapse of the industry in 2019 and 2020, respectivley.
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| Gottschalks' closed entrance—a sign of trouble for the mall's future. |
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| Somersville’s center court in 2010. Quiet, but not dead. |
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| Sears remained open in 2010, but its long-term fate was already uncertain. |
Legacy of Somersville Towne Center
Somersville Towne Center reflects more than fifty years of retail evolution in East Contra Costa County. From its beginnings as the County East Shopping Center in 1968 to its expansion as County East Mall and later reinvention as Somersville Towne Center, the property continually adapted to changing consumer expectations and retail trends. Each major transformation—from open-air center to regional mall to modernized shopping complex—mirrored broader changes taking place across suburban America.
Although many of its department stores have disappeared, Somersville remains an important reminder of how retail development shaped the growth of Antioch and East County during the second half of the twentieth century. Its history reflects both the opportunities and challenges faced by suburban shopping centers as communities, consumer habits, and retail formats evolved over time.
Comments
Since all the other "big box" players are out that way as well, it makes me wonder if this is where the center of East County retail is going; especially with all the growth in Oakley and Brentwood.
Were it not for Macys, I would say that Somersville mall is pretty much done. But the Macys is a relatively new one, not to mention one they built from scratch as opposed to taking over an older building. (The old JCPenney which started out as a Grant City was demolished to make way for Macys)
Bottom line is that it's too good of a location and that something will eventually be done there. My guess is that eventually the mall gets demolished and that a mixed use lifestyle concept gets built around Macys and the other remaining anchors(which right now is just Sears)
But like everything else right now, any redevelopment of Somersville will have to wait for the economy to shake out, especially being in a town that's been hit hard by foreclosures.
It used to make sense, where you could travel from store to store all by foot.
Now it's all disjointed. The front part of the mall where 24 Hour it located seems like a separate unit until itself compared to the inside mall. When they built Gottchalks, they disrupted the parking lot so you could no longer easily drive from one side to the other.
The inside of the mall is all uneven surface. It feels like you're walking up and down when going between stores.
They're hardly any place to eat unless you want to go to Sbarros. In the hey day there was Kings Table. I also remember (a much better) Orange Julious, and Baskin Robbins.
I remember they used to have a Longs-type store (Thrifty? or Value Giant?) which brought in traffic. And JC Pennys there used to have a restaraunt.