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

Long before every new shopping center promised to be a “lifestyle destination,” Santana Row in San Jose, California was already showing how it could be done right. Opened in 2002 and still relatively new in 2011, Santana Row stood out as one of the most successful examples of the lifestyle center concept—a blend of open-air shopping, dining, residential living, and walkable streets. Origins of Santana Row Developed by Federal Realty Investment Trust, Santana Row replaced a former Town and Country shopping center and reimagined the suburban mall for the 21st century. Designed with European-inspired architecture, tree-lined sidewalks, and cobblestone streets, it wasn’t just a mall—it was an urban village. In fact, with a street running through it, cars cruising slowly, and sidewalk cafés filled with shoppers and residents, Santana Row felt more like Disneyland’s Main Street than a typical shopping plaza. View of Santana Row in 2011, showing open-air pedestrian street with boutique sto...

I'll admit it—I have a soft spot for outlet malls. While my heart belongs to the golden-age enclosed malls of the Bay Area, there's something thrilling about scoring a deal. Factory outlets are where practicality meets impulse, and in the right setting—like Napa—they can feel like a mini-vacation with a shopping bag. A more strategic shopper When the center opened in 1994, I’d fill my trunk with anything that looked like a bargain, only to realize later why those pants were marked down to $9.99. Eventually, I learned the golden rule of outlet shopping: try everything on, and then try another size. This especially applies to shoes and anything labeled “irregular.” Retailers like The Gap and Banana Republic even manufacture lines specifically for outlet stores—no factory defects, just lower-cost fabrics and simplified cuts. Despite this, you still walk away feeling like a savvy shopper. Judging by the crowds during my 2011 visit, I wasn’t the only one on a mission. A 2011 vis...

Foothill Square, once a vibrant shopping mall in Oakland, was a product of its time, opening in 1962 with a bold design by Welton Becket & Associates and landscaping by Lawrence Halprin & Associates. Located between MacArthur and Foothill Boulevard, the mall had a pedestrian-focused layout, featuring a central walkway—an innovative idea for the era. Newspaper artist’s rendering of Foothill Square as construction began in 1961—showing a sleek, modernist pedestrian plaza surrounded by greenery and anchored by local favorites like Lucky and Thrifty. Built by the Draper Company, Foothill Square was anchored by community staples like Lucky Stores, Thrifty Drug Store, and an S.S. Kresge Co. five-and-dime, not the department stores seen in larger malls. The center became a gathering point for locals, reflecting a time when free parking was king. In fact, to mark the beginning of construction in 1961, a ceremonial "burying of a parking meter" symbolized the mall’s commitment ...

Bayfair Center, originally Bay Fair Shopping Center, opened in phases between 1957 and 1959. The late 50s saw an explosion of growth in suburbs, and department stores were eager to follow suit. It was a joint venture of Macy's and the Capital Company. The opening act (aka, before I was born) Bay Fair Shopping Center opened in carefully choreographed phases—first with Macy’s in 1957, and then a two-level retail wonderland designed by the ever-futuristic Victor Gruen & Associates. The parking lot flowed right into two different levels. One side called the Mall Level, the other the Terrace Level, depending on where your dad could find a parking spot. A bold new era in suburban shopping—Bay Fair and Macy’s debut in this 1957 grand opening ad, promising modern convenience and architectural flair to San Leandro shoppers. Phase Two begins: A 1957 article heralds the opening of Bay Fair’s sleek new two-story addition, adding 22 stores and elevating the center into a full-scale reta...

Long before Amazon Prime and same-day delivery, Oaklanders were promised a shopping experience "a whole century ahead of its time." On September 9, 1965, the MacArthur/Broadway Shopping Center—affectionately known as M/B Center—opened to much fanfare. A full-page ad in the Oakland Tribune heralded it as “the most fantastic one-stop shopping and dining extravaganza in the entire universe!” A 1965 newspaper ad celebrates the grand opening of the MacArthur/Broadway Shopping Center in Oakland—billed as a modern retail destination and quickly embraced by locals as the beloved “M/B Center.” With no traditional department store anchor, M/B Center dared to be different. Anchored instead by Woolworth’s, it offered a bold, modernist take on retail—wrapped in aluminum, terrazzo, and atomic-era optimism. In this 1965 newspaper ad, Edmond E. Herrscher, founder of the MacArthur/Broadway Shopping Center, greets shoppers with a heartfelt message on opening day—ushering in a new era of reta...

Liberty House of Hawaii—yes, that Liberty House—had a brief, glittery moment in California between 1971 and 1987, all under the ambitious umbrella of the Hawaii-based Amfac corporation. But ask anyone who remembers, and they’ll probably bring up the same thing first: those glass elevators. Not just any elevators, mind you—these had mannequins riding up and down inside them, frozen in time like fashionable ghosts, floating through the atriums like it was totally normal to shop for blouses while being watched by a life-size plastic person in heels. Liberty House’s iconic glass elevators at Eastridge Mall in San Jose featured mannequins riding in endless loops—elegant, eerie, and unforgettable. For me, it was the Snoopy Shop. Tucked inside the Liberty House in Dublin was the stuff of childhood dreams. All I wanted was to convince my mom to buy a tiny outfit for my Snoopy doll—a corduroy jacket, a tennis sweater, anything with that pink-and-gold Liberty House price tag. It wasn’t about t...