Buena Park Downtown, formerly Buena Park Mall, is an enclosed shopping mall located on La Palma Avenue in Buena Park, California, United States, near Knott's Berry Farm. As of 2007[update] it is the 20th largest mall in Orange County, with around 1,100,000 square feet (100,000 m2) of retail space.[2]
 Sears at Buena Park Downtown | |
 | |
| Location | Buena Park, California |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 33°50′43″N 117°59′22″W / 33.845141°N 117.989382°W |
| Address | 8308 On the Mall |
| Opening date | 1961 |
| Developer | John S. Griffith[1] |
| Management | Cirrus Asset Management Inc. |
| No. of stores and services | 80 |
| Total retail floor area | 1,100,000 square feet (100,000 m2) |
| No. of floors | 2 (1 in former Bed Bath & Beyond, Ross Dress For Less, TJ Maxx, and Walmart, 3rd floor offices in former Sears) |
| Website | https://www.visitbpd.com/ |
The mall is anchored by Walmart, DSW Shoes, Ross Dress for Less, TJ Maxx and Burlington. The mall also features a Krikorian Metroplex movie theater.
History
editBuilt in 1961, the Buena Park Mall was one of the first malls in Orange County, anchored by JCPenney, Sears, and May Company California (which opened in 1963).[3] A United Artists movie theater opened in August 1984, to close in 1999;[4] the space was converted for retail use, and became 24 Hour Fitness in 2007. May Company closed in January 1993 as one of the 12 J. W. Robinson's and May Company stores closing due to the merging of the two department stores to form Robinson's-May and in November of that same year, the closed May Company became a discount chain Fedco.[5]
Previous tenants of the Buena Park Mall include:
| Tenant name | Date opened | Date closed |
|---|---|---|
| Sears | 1961 | February 2, 2020 |
| Bed Bath and Beyond | 2000s? | February 2023 |
The mall was neglected in the 1980s and 1990s even as the local retail market changed.[6] In 1995 a group controlled by the Pritzker family of Chicago bought the mall for $41 million from Australia's City Freeholds, Inc., and planned a $120 million renovation.[3]
The modernization was stalled for several years. After FedCo closed, the leaseholder sought to sublet the space to Gigante, a Mexican supermarket chain, and opposed a major renovation. Target, which had acquired FedCo in 1999, refused to allow the lease to be transferred to another discount retailer.[7] Finally, in late 2001, the city of Buena Park itself paid $3.2 million to take over the Fedco lease and transfer it to Walmart, which now occupies the space.[6][8] Completed in 2003, the renovation also replaced the former JCPenney with a new Krikorian Theaters multiplex.[4]
Burlington Coat Factory, a later addition, closed in 2005 and was replaced with Steve & Barry's which closed in 2008. Tower Records also operated in the mall until the demise of the chain in 2007. The Chicago eatery Portillo's opened their first Southern California outlet at the mall in 2005, next to the Pat & Oscar's, along the La Palma edge of the parking lot. Steve & Barry's closed in 2009.[3] Circuit City was formerly one of the principal stores of Buena Park Place, but closed in 2009 due to its bankruptcy.
On November 7, 2019, it was announced that Sears would be closing this location as part of a plan to close 96 stores nationwide. The store closed on February 2, 2020, making it the last original anchor store to close.[9]
On January 10, 2023, it was announced that Bed Bath & Beyond would be closing as part of a plan to close 62 stores nationwide. Burlington was assigned to take its place.[10]
References
edit- ^ "Additional units open at Buena Park Center". The Los Angeles Times. March 26, 1961. pp. J8. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ Cruz, Sherri (October 22–28, 2007). "Buena Park Downtown Pins Growth on John's". Orange County Business Journal.
- ^ a b c Mello, Michael (October 28, 2008). "City to buy Buena Park mall?". Orange County Register.
- ^ a b "Buena Park Mall". 70mm Equipped Theatre Pictures.
- ^ Longo, Don (December 6, 1993). "Fedco debuts tri-level unit for universal appeal". Discount Store News.
- ^ a b Bellantonio, Jennifer (March 11, 2002). "Buena Park Mall nearing last stages in $70M makeover". Orange County Business Journal.
- ^ Cholo-Tipton, Ana (April 4, 2000). "Mall's Future Is in Flux: Movies or Market?". Los Angeles Times. p. B-5.
- ^ Businesses - Redevelopment Projects & Success Stories Archived April 4, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Tyko, Kelly; Bomey, Nathan (November 7, 2019). "Sears and Kmart store closings: 51 Sears, 45 Kmart locations to shutter. See the list". USA Today. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
- ^ "Bed Bath & Beyond to close additional stores, here's where". 2023-01-10. Retrieved 2023-01-10.