This field guide documents many Macy's department store sites across the San Francisco Bay Area and Monterey Bay. 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 Macy's stores, while others occupied earlier department store anchors such as Emporium-Capwell or Liberty House. Together, they form a layered record of retail development across postwar California malls.
San Francisco (1)
Converted from O'Connor, Moffatt & Company, which Macy’s had bought two years earlier. The store got larger by the consolidation of I. Magnin.
San Rafael (1)
Converted from Albert's on February 24, 1953. Closed in January 1996 when the store moved to Northgate Mall.
Richmond (1)
Converted from Albert's on February 24, 1953. Closed January 6, 1973.
San Mateo
Opened November 19, 1954. It was the first purpose-built location by Macy's.
San Jose (Valley Fair 1)
Opened August 10, 1956 at Valley Fair in San Jose. Macy's has two stores at Valley Fair, with the other at the east end of the mall. A legacy of two shopping centers becoming one in 1986, this store sits in San Jose while the other sits in Santa Clara.
San Leandro
Opened August 8, 1957 at Bayfair Mall in San Leandro. It closed January 2024.
Palo Alto
Opened October 12, 1961 at Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto.
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| Macy’s at Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto. |
Concord (1)
Opened August 17, 1967 at Sunvalley Mall in Concord.
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| Macy’s at Sunvalley Mall in Concord, California, opened in 1967. |
Daly City
Opened October 3, 1968 at Serramonte Mall in Daly City. The store was originally promised to Westlake Shopping Center, but Macy's banked on the enclosed mall trend instead.
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| Macy’s at Serramonte Center in Daly City, part of the mall’s original anchor lineup when it opened in October 1968. |
San Jose (Eastridge)
Opened August 12, 1971 at Eastridge Mall in San Jose.
Richmond (2)
Role: Purpose-built
Architect: Unknown
Original anchor: Yes
Operational years: 1976–1998
Predecessor store: None
Current use: Vacant
Opened September 2, 1976 at Hilltop Mall in Richmond. It relocated to the former Capwell's store in 1998 after it was acquired in 1996.
San Jose (Oakridge)
Opened August 23, 1978 at Oakridge Mall in San Jose.
Sunnyvale
Opened September 27, 1979 at Sunnyvale Town Center in Sunnyvale. Closed in 2019.
Newark
Opened August 6, 1980 at NewPark Mall in Newark. Closed March 2025.
Pleasanton (1)
Opened on September 4, 1980 at Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton.
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| Opened in 1980, Macy's at Stoneridge Mall helped anchor one of the Bay Area's newest regional shopping centers, serving the fast-growing communities of Pleasanton, Dublin, and Livermore. |
Santa Rosa (1)
Opened August 8, 1981 at Santa Rosa Plaza in Santa Rosa.
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| Macy’s at Santa Rosa Plaza, which opened on August 8, 1981, as a key anchor of the new downtown shopping center in Sonoma County. |
San Francisco (2)
After Liberty House closed in 1984, the building was sold to Macy's.
Santa Rosa (2)
Originally opened as Liberty House in 1980 before it closed in 1984. Macy's acquired the site, and turned it into a clearance center until Gottschalk's opened in 1996. Ultimately, the store was demolished for a new Target.
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| Macy's operated a clearance center at Coddingtown Mall after it acquired the former Liberty House space. It later became Gottschalks after Macy's closed the location. |
Corte Madera
Opened August 15, 1985 at the Village at Corte Madera in Corte Madera. Closed March 2025.
Fairfield
Opened August 1985 at Solano Mall in Fairfield.
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| Exterior view of Macy’s at Solano Mall in Fairfield, which opened in August 1985 as part of the mall’s expansion into a full regional shopping destination. |
Conversion phase and Emporium-Capwell acquisition (1996–1998)
Concord (2)
Converted from Emporium-Capwell in 1996.
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| Macy’s second location at Sunvalley Mall, which opened in a former Emporium-Capwell in 1996. |
Hayward
Converted from Emporium-Capwell in 1996.
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| Macy’s at Southland Mall in Hayward, rebranded in 1996 after Federated Department Stores acquired Broadway Stores. The building originally opened in 1972 as Liberty House. |
Pleasanton (2)
Converted from Emporium-Capwell in 1996.
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| Macy’s at Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton, a former Emporium-Capwell that became Macy’s in 1996. |
San Francisco (Stonestown)
Converted from Emporium-Capwell in 1996. Closed March 2018.
San Rafael (2)
Converted from Emporium-Capwell in 1996.
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| Macy's set in the former Emporium at Northgate Mall in San Rafael. |
Santa Clara (Valley Fair 2)
Converted from Emporium-Capwell in 1996. Macy's has two stores at Valley Fair, with the other at the east end of the mall. A legacy of two shopping centers becoming one in 1986, this store sits in Santa Clara while the other sits in San Jose.
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| Macy's set in the former Emporium at Valley Fair Mall. The store was significantly remodeled. |
Santa Rosa (3)
Converted from Emporium-Capwell in 1996. At that point, they closed their clearance center location at the mall.
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| Macy’s at Coddingtown Mall in Santa Rosa, a former Emporium-Capwell location that became Macy’s in 1996. |
Walnut Creek (1)
Converted from Emporium-Capwell in 1996.
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| Macy's set in a former Capwell’s store at Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek. |
Walnut Creek (2)
Originally opened as I. Magnin in 1967. After Macy's phased out the brand, they opened a Macy's Men & Juniors in 1996. The store closed after the larger Macy's across the street expanded.
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| The I. Magnin building at Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek, pictured in 2006 during its time as Macy’s. The building was later demolished as part of the shopping center’s redevelopment. |
Cupertino
Originally built for Bullock's in 1975. Macy's converted this store when it acquired Emporium-Capwell in 1996, but the store remained vacant until July 1997 when it became a Macy's clearance center. Later in 1998, it upgraded to a full-line store. Closed March 15, 2015.
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| Macy’s at Vallco Mall in Cupertino, which opened as a Macy’s Clearance Center in July 1997 before upgrading to a full-line store in 1998. Originally a Bullock's, it remained in operation until 2015. |
Richmond (3)
Role: Converted anchor
Architect: Unknown
Original anchor: No
Operational years: 1998–2021
Predecessor store: Emporium-Capwell
Current use: Vacant
Opened as Capwell's in 1976, became Emporium-Capwell in 1990 before it closed in 1996. The building remained vacant until Macy's moved from its other location in the mall to this one in 1998. Closed March 2021.
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| Macy's set in a former Capwell's at Hilltop Mall in Richmond. |
Expansion into final suburban build-out (2004)
Antioch
Opened 2004 at Somersville Towne Center in Antioch, replacing a JCPenney. Closed in 2020. It was the last Macy's to open in the region.
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| Macy’s opened at Somersville Towne Center in Antioch in 2004, replacing the former JCPenney. |
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