BIGMallrat | Retail history of Northern California

Published August 6, 2025 In September 2006, Tanforan Mall in San Bruno, California, proudly presented itself as “ The New Shape of Shopping .” Just one year after a massive redevelopment project transformed the aging mid-century mall into a sleek, two-level shopping destination called "The Shops at Tanforan," the mall was riding a wave of optimism—anchored by Target, JCPenney, and Sears, and bolstered by an upgraded food court and an influx of national brands. Today, we’re revisiting that era through a rare 2006 directory and kiosk guide that captured Tanforan at the peak of its early-2000s reinvention. Front cover Front of the September 2006 directory, promoting gift cards, shopping club, and services—popular mall staples of the 2000s. The front of the September 2006 directory touts the mall’s stylish credentials. Hollister Co., the beach-themed Abercrombie offshoot, was set to debut in Spring 2007, while Justice (the preteen girls’ fashion brand) had a grand opening planne...

Published: March 8, 2008 · Last updated: September 22, 2026 Few places on the Peninsula have been reinvented as often as Tanforan. Over more than a century, the San Bruno property has served as a racetrack, wartime detention center, regional shopping mall, and transit-oriented retail center. Now, the 44-acre site faces another transformation through a proposed mixed-use redevelopment. Each chapter reflects the changing priorities of the Bay Area itself. Tanforan Mall in the 1970s, showing the Sears anchor and the original enclosed mall architecture. Annotated Apple Maps view of San Bruno showing the location of Tanforan, positioned off I-380 at El Camino Real. From racetrack to retail center (1899–1970) Before it was a shopping mall, the site was home to Tanforan Park racetrack, which opened in 1899 and became nationally known as a venue for thoroughbred racing. The racetrack is remembered not only for horses such as Seabiscuit, but also for its use as a temporary detention center...