This field guide documents The Emporium, Capwell’s, and Emporium-Capwell department store sites across Northern California. Each entry records the building’s original anchor tenant, architectural context, and current use.
Unlike a corporate history, this guide focuses on the physical remains of the stores themselves—the structures that still shape mall corridors long after the signage has changed.
Many of these sites began as standalone Capwell’s or The Emporium stores, while others occupied earlier department store anchors such as Liberty House or Bullock’s. Together, they form a layered record of retail development across postwar California malls.
Flagship stores (1896—1929)
The Emporium San Francisco (Downtown)
Opened on May 25, 1896 at 835 Market Street in San Francisco.
Capwell's Oakland
Location: 20th and BroadwayOpened on August 5, 1929 at 20th and Broadway in Oakland. Its popular restaurant, The Terrace, ran until December 1984. After the store closed, Sears operated in the space for many years.
Early suburban expansion (1952–1958)
The Emporium Stonestown (San Francisco)
Opened on July 17, 1952 at Stonestown Mall. It was converted to Macy's.
Capwell's Hayward
Opened on September 11, 1957 in downtown Hayward. It closed on September 30, 1983 when the store moved to Southland Mall. It became Mervyn's headquarters before being knocked down.
Capwell's Walnut Creek
Opened on March 19, 1954 at Broadway Plaza. When it opened, it was Walnut Creek's largest building.
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| The former Capwell’s store at Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek. |
The Emporium Stanford (Palo Alto)
Location: Stanford Shopping CenterOpened on February 23, 1956 at the Stanford Shopping Center. The building was demolished in 2016 and replaced by a new Bloomingdale's.
The Emporium Stevens Creek/Valley Fair (Santa Clara)
Opened on March 8, 1957. When the new Valley Fair opened in 1986, it was rebranded Emporium-Capwell Valley Fair.
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| The former Emporium at Valley Fair Mall, opened as Emporium Stevens Creek in 1957, was significantly remodeled. |
Capwell's El Cerrito
Opened on July 9, 1958 at El Cerrito Plaza.
Late suburban expansion (1961–1970)
The Emporium Hillsdale (San Mateo)
Opened on September 12, 1962 at Hillsdale Mall in San Mateo.
The Emporium Marin (San Rafael)
Opened on June 26, 1964 at Northgate Mall in San Rafael.
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| The former Emporium at Northgate Mall still stands with its distinctive façade and an outdoor mezzanine deck. |
The Emporium Santa Rosa
Opened on July 14, 1966 at Coddington Mall in Santa Rosa. The Emporium had the first escalators in Sonoma county.
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| Former Emporium at Coddingtown Mall, showing its two-level façade and balcony deck. |
Capwell's Fremont
Opened on February 22, 1968 at the Fremont Fashion Center. Became a clearance center in 1987 when the store moved to NewPark Mall in Newark. Closed in 1992 when the building was sold to Washington Hospital.
The Emporium Almaden (San Jose)
Opened on August 8, 1968 at San Jose's Almaden Plaza. Welton Becket designed the store and adjoining shopping center.
The Emporium Mountain View
Location: El Camino RealOpened on October 29, 1970 with a 278,500 sq. ft. store on El Camino Real. Unlike other suburban locations, there was no shopping center attached to this store. A large restaurant, the El Camino Room, overlooked El Camino Real.
Expansion into mall anchor (1972–1983)
The Emporium Salinas
A 179,000 sq. ft. store opened July 6, 1972 at Northridge Mall in Salinas. Look closely and you can see the big E scar on the right side.
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| Former Emporium at Northridge Mall in Salinas. |
The Emporium Tanforan (San Bruno)
Opened on September 28, 1972 with a 197,000 sq. ft. store at Tanforan Park Shopping Center in San Bruno.
Capwell's Hilltop (Richmond)
Opened on August 4, 1976 at Hilltop Mall in Richmond. This was the last store to open with the Capwell's name.
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| Former Capwell's at Hilltop Mall in Richmond. The beige tile used to be orangish-red. |
The Emporium Eastridge (San Jose)
Opened on August 17, 1978 in a former Liberty House store at Eastridge Mall in San Jose.
Emporium-Capwell Stoneridge (Pleasanton)
Opened September 4, 1980 at Stoneridge Shopping Center in Pleasanton. This was their first store with the joint Emporium-Capwell name.
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| Former Emporium-Capwell at Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton. |
Emporium-Capwell Sunvalley (Concord)
Opened February 5, 1981 at Sunvalley Shopping Center in Concord. If you look closely, you can still see the scar of the original Emporium-Capwell signage.
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| Former Emporium-Capwell at Sunvalley Mall in Concord. |
Emporium-Capwell Solano (Fairfield)
Opened February 3, 1983 at Solano Mall in Fairfield. It was replaced by Sears until the store closed.
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| Sears at Solano Mall in Fairfield, CA, shown here occupying the space once home to Emporium-Capwell. |
Relocations and final suburban build-out (1983–1987)
Emporium-Capwell Southland (Hayward)
Opened October 15, 1983 in a former Liberty House at Southland Mall in Hayward. This was a relocation of the downtown Hayward store.
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| Former Emporium-Capwell at Southland Mall in Hayward. |
Emporium-Capwell Vallco (Cupertino)
Opened November 19, 1984 in a former Bullock's store at Vallco Fashion Park in Cupertino. After Emporium-Capwell, it was Macy's until demolition in the 2010s as part of the mall's redevelopment.
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| Former Emporium-Capwell store at Vallco Mall in Cupertino, California. |
Emporium-Capwell NewPark (Newark)
A 182,000 sq. ft. store opened February 7, 1987 at NewPark Mall in Newark. This was a relocation of the Capwell's Fremont store, which became a clearance center. It was one of the few stores to have just "Emporium" signage on the store after "Capwell's" was dropped by the company parent in 1989. The building was gutted to the steel beams and now houses AMC theaters.
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