Florin Mall opened with celebration and pride on February 21, 1968, bringing Sacramento its first fully enclosed shopping center. Located at Florin Road and Stockton Boulevard, it was developed by James J. Cordano, Earl Cohen, and Aetna Insurance.
With its lofty ceilings and wide concourses, Florin Mall wasn’t just a mall—it was a cathedral of commerce. This was retail with ambition.
The beginning: from Florin Center to full-scale mall
Originally called Florin Center, the project was anchored by Weinstock’s, which opened first on October 9, 1967—a few months ahead of the mall itself. Weinstock’s was 157,000 square feet of homegrown department store tradition.
It was soon joined by JC Penney (125,000 sq. ft.) and Sears (a massive 259,000 sq. ft.). By 1968, Florin Center had transformed into Sacramento’s first enclosed shopping mall, and it quickly became the retail center of the southern part of the city.
Its arrival shook things up at nearby Southgate Shopping Center, a declining open-air center that once boasted Rhodes and later Liberty House.
The 1970s: expansion and early competition
In 1972, Sunrise Mall opened in Citrus Heights, and suddenly Florin had real competition. Still, the mall was growing.
In 1978, a new front wing added around 30 more stores, and the mall was formally rebranded as Florin Mall. That newer section eventually evolved into a food court area.
The 1980s: a shifting tone
By the early ’80s, Florin Mall began to struggle with increased crime. Shoppers started gravitating toward Sunrise Mall and the newly renovated Arden Fair. The once-glamorous shopping destination was now battling public perception just as much as market forces.
The 1990s: cosmetic fixes and deeper issues
A renovation in 1990 brought cosmetic updates—new signage, lighting, and storefront finishes—but couldn’t undo the damage to the mall’s image.
Retail habits were changing fast. By 1993, the newly rebuilt Downtown Plaza siphoned off even more traffic. The biggest blow came in March 1996, when Weinstock’s closed instead of converting to Macy’s, following Federated’s acquisition.
In 1998, JC Penney made a rare move and converted its store to an outlet. It was an odd shift at the time, since modern inventory systems had made large-scale overstocking mostly obsolete. Still, the shift reflected a change in the customer base and brought in local retailers with more ethnic and community-focused offerings.
The 2000s: final days and transformation
As retail continued its shakeout, Florin Mall couldn’t keep up. Even once-unstoppable malls like Downtown Plaza were struggling. When JC Penney closed entirely on April 26, 2003, that left Sears as the last traditional anchor.
Finally, an ambitious plan to build a new mall in Elk Grove was announced. The Elk Grove Promenade broke ground and promised to be the next premier retail destination. Ironically, that project failed mid-construction and was abandoned.
The mall limped along until its purchase in October 2005 and official closure on February 28, 2006. Demolition began soon after, with just Sears and a few outparcels remaining.
In 2008, the site was reborn as Florin Towne Centre, an open-air power center offering a more utilitarian but still busy shopping experience.
Directory from 2002
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| A 2002 Florin Mall directory, just a few years before the mall's demolition—showing the full layout and tenant mix in its final years. |
Quick facts
Opened: 1968
Closed: 2006 (demolished)
Type: Superregional center
Total Stores: 100
GLA (Gross Leasable Area): 1,020,446 sq. ft.
Major Anchors: Sears, JC Penney, Weinstock's
Developer: James J. Cordano
Why it mattered
Florin Mall was more than a shopping center—it was a local landmark and a time capsule of how we once lived, shopped, and gathered. From its soaring ceilings and grand anchors to its decline and eventual rebirth as a power center, Florin mirrored the rise and fall of suburban retail culture.
Though the mall is gone, its memory endures—in stories, directories, and the surviving fragments of a space that once connected South Sacramento.
Related posts
- The history of Country Club Plaza – Sacramento’s enduring enclosed mall
- Lost malls of Sacramento: Downtown Plaza (1993—2014)
- The history of Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights — shopping icon since 1972
- Lost department stores of the West: Weinstock’s (1874—1996)
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