Fashion Fair is a medium-sized, enclosed
shopping mall
A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...
in
Fresno, California
Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, makin ...
, anchored by two
Macy's
Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...
stores,
JCPenney
Penney OpCo LLC, doing business as JCPenney and often abbreviated JCP, is a midscale American department store chain operating 667 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Departments inside JCPenney stores include Mens, Womens, Boys, Gir ...
, and
Forever 21
Forever 21 is a multinational fast fashion retailer headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. Originally founded as the store Fashion 21 in Highland Park, Los Angeles in 1984,Forever 21History & Facts, n.d. Retrieved 27 April 2014 ...
. Originally opened in 1970, Fashion Fair was expanded in 1983 (to accommodate Macy's and a new food court) and in 2005 (with the addition of an outdoor lifestyle wing). It competes with
The Shops at River Park and Fig Garden Village, two outdoor shopping centers in the city of Fresno.
History
The mall was built in 1970 by the MacDonald Group and was sold in 1987.
The mall originally opened with
Gottschalks
Gottschalks (former NYSE ticker symbol GOT) was a middle-tier American department store that operated 58 department stores and three specialty apparel stores in six western states (California, Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Nevada); some ...
,
J. C. Penney
Penney OpCo LLC, doing business as JCPenney and often abbreviated JCP, is a midscale American department store chain operating 667 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Departments inside JCPenney stores include Mens, Womens, Boys, Girl ...
, and
Weinstock's
Weinstock's, originally Weinstock, Lubin, and Co., was an American department store chain headquartered in Sacramento, California. It was founded by Harris Weinstock and his half-brother, David Lubin. The chain was purchased by Hale's in 1949, b ...
;
Macy's
Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...
joined the roster in 1983.
In 1996,
Weinstock's
Weinstock's, originally Weinstock, Lubin, and Co., was an American department store chain headquartered in Sacramento, California. It was founded by Harris Weinstock and his half-brother, David Lubin. The chain was purchased by Hale's in 1949, b ...
parent company, Broadway Department Stores, merged with its competitor, Federated Department Stores.
While most of Broadway's stores were converted to the Macy's nameplate, Weinstock's stores in Fresno and
Modesto
Modesto () is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton- ...
were traded to
Gottschalks
Gottschalks (former NYSE ticker symbol GOT) was a middle-tier American department store that operated 58 department stores and three specialty apparel stores in six western states (California, Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Nevada); some ...
. This allowed Gottschalks to take over the larger Weinstock's buildings, while Macy's converted the original Gottschalks stores into separate Macy's Men's & Children's stores. Gottschalks filed for bankruptcy in 2009 and sold its lease to
Forever 21
Forever 21 is a multinational fast fashion retailer headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. Originally founded as the store Fashion 21 in Highland Park, Los Angeles in 1984,Forever 21History & Facts, n.d. Retrieved 27 April 2014 ...
.
In 2019, Macy's relocated the children's department back to the original Macy's building to make room for the addition of Macy's Backstage.
After an extensive remodel, Forever 21 opened on April 1, 2011; this was the largest Forever 21 built in the United States at 164,052 square feet. Approximately one year after opening, the store downsized and took the third level out of service. In Spring 2019 amid company restructuring, the store downsized again leaving only the first floor in use. The 2nd level partially reopened on August 30, 2019, however, was re-closed by October 24, 2019 leaving only the first floor in use. Forever 21 filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy on September 29, 2019. On October 1, 2019, this location was placed on the initial list of stores set to close by the end of the year. By October 31, 2019, the store was removed from the list of locations to close.
In 2005, construction on a 94,000 square-foot expansion commenced. Dubbed The Village at Fashion Fair, the open-air wing features upscale retailers including
Charming Charlie
Charming Charlie is a women's contemporary fashion and accessories retailer based in Houston, Texas.
History
Launched in 2004 by founder and former chief executive officer, Charlie Chanaratsopon, the brand is known for offering a wide array of ...
,
Lucky Brand Jeans
Lucky Brand Jeans is an American denim company founded in Vernon, California in 1990 by Gene Montesano and Barry Perlman.Vanessa McGradA Lucky Pair ''Catalyst'' Spring/Summer 2008 Lucky also produces other apparel, including activewear, outerwear, ...
,
LUSH Cosmetics,
Michael Kors
Michael David Kors (born Karl Anderson Jr. August 9, 1959) is an American fashion designer. He is the chief creative officer of his brand, Michael Kors, which sells men's and women's ready-to-wear, accessories, watches, jewelry, footwear, and f ...
, and
Sephora
Sephora is a French multinational retailer of personal care and beauty products. Featuring nearly 340 brands, along with its own private label, Sephora Collection, Sephora offers beauty products including cosmetics, skincare, body, fragrance, n ...
; alongside
The Cheesecake Factory
The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated is an American restaurant company and distributor of cheesecakes based in the United States. The company operates 219 full-service restaurants: 206 under The Cheesecake Factory brand and 13 under the Grand Lux ...
and a
Fleming's
Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar (or simply Fleming's) is an American steakhouse restaurant chain owned and operated by Bloomin' Brands, headquartered in Tampa, Florida. In addition to steak and wine, they serve a variety of American cuisine ...
steakhouse.
The Village has experienced significant turnover since it opened, with major retailers
Urban Outfitters
Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN) is a multinational lifestyle retail corporation headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Operating in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Canada, select Western European countries, Poland the United Arab Emirates, Kuw ...
,
Anthropologie
Anthropologie is an American clothing retailer with approximately 200 stores across the U.S., Canada, and the UK that offers an assortment of clothing, jewelry, home furniture, decoration, beauty products, and gifts.
Anthropologie is part of ...
,
and
Z Gallerie (among others) exiting the property after less than 10 years in business. The former Urban Outfitters was replaced with an
Ulta Beauty
Ulta Beauty, Inc., formerly known as Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance Inc. and before 2000 as Ulta3, is an American chain of beauty stores headquartered in Bolingbrook, Illinois. Ulta Beauty carries both high-end and low-end cosmetics, fragran ...
store in 2018, which was joined by Fresno's second
H&M store later in the year.
Charming Charlie, which originally replaced Z Gallerie, closed in 2019, and was replaced with a
Five Below
5 is a number, numeral, and glyph.
5, five or number 5 may also refer to:
* AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era
* 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era
Literature
* ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram
* ''5'' (comics), an awar ...
which opened September 27, 2019. However, Charming Charlie returned to the mall in 2021 as part of a revival of the chain, replacing a former Guess clothing store in The Village, before closing again the next year.
The mall added a forest-themed play area in 2008.
A van selling official
Hello Kitty
, also known by her full name , is a fictional Character (arts), character created by Yuko Shimizu, currently designed by Yuko Yamaguchi, and owned by the Japanese company Sanrio. Sanrio depicts Hello Kitty as an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphi ...
merchandise has stopped at Fashion Fair Mall many times, drawing thousands.
The mall lost several tenants as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic, including Starbucks Coffee, New York & Company, Justice, Francesca's, Cinnabon, Auntie Anne's, Chipotle, Mrs. Fields, and Call it Spring.
Anchor stores
Former anchors
*
Weinstock's
Weinstock's, originally Weinstock, Lubin, and Co., was an American department store chain headquartered in Sacramento, California. It was founded by Harris Weinstock and his half-brother, David Lubin. The chain was purchased by Hale's in 1949, b ...
(Opened 1970, closed 1996 due to Broadway-Federated merger)
*
Gottschalks
Gottschalks (former NYSE ticker symbol GOT) was a middle-tier American department store that operated 58 department stores and three specialty apparel stores in six western states (California, Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Nevada); some ...
(Opened 1970, moved to former Weinstock's in 1996, closed 2009 due to company liquidation)
*Love Culture (Opened 2012 in former Forever 21 space, closed 2018, replaced by H&M)
See also
*
Fulton Mall
Fulton Street is a long east–west street in northern Brooklyn, New York City. This street begins at the intersection of Adams Street and Joralemon Street in Brooklyn Heights, and runs eastward to East New York and Cypress Hills. At the borde ...
*
The Shops at River Park
References
External links
Fashion Fair official websiteat fashionfairmall.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fashion Fair Mall
Macerich
Buildings and structures in Fresno, California
Shopping malls in Fresno County, California
Tourist attractions in Fresno, California
Shopping malls established in 1970