Arden Fair Mall
A two-level regional shopping mall on Arden Way in Sacramento, California.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Arden Fair is a regional shopping mall in Sacramento, California, positioned on Arden Way near Interstate 80 Business and the California State Fairgrounds. The two-level complex contains approximately 1.112 million square feet of gross leasable area and has more than 150 tenants. Its current principal department-store anchors are Macy's and JCPenney, while a former Nordstrom building has been partly repurposed for Restoration Hardware and a former Sears building is planned for conversion into a Dick's House of Sport. The Dick's concept is expected to open in 2027, subject to completion of the announced redevelopment program. The property grew out of the postwar development of Swanston Estates. Sears opened on the site in 1957, preceding the Arden Fair complex itself. Kassis Investment, operated by brothers Frank, Lewis, Walter, and Edward Kassis, developed an open-air shopping center immediately east of Sears. That center opened in 1959 with more than three dozen specialty stores. Additional department-store and neighborhood-serving development followed, including Hale's in 1961, its successor Weinstock's, a later expansion wing, and the Arden Fair Food Circus, an early cafeteria-style food-court format that opened in 1965. The complex evolved from an open-air center into an enclosed mall through a 1971 conversion and subsequent renovations. After Morton Friedman and Dennis Marks acquired the property in 1975, they invested in remodeling and repositioning. A major late-1980s project, managed in partnership with Homart Development Company, added a second level, a food court, new circulation areas, parking facilities, and many new tenants. Nordstrom joined the property during this redevelopment, giving the Sacramento region its first store from that retailer. JCPenney relocated to Arden Fair in 1994, and Weinstock's became Macy's in 1996. Arden Fair became one of the Sacramento area's most important retail destinations and, by 2000, the City of Sacramento's largest single source of sales-tax revenue. The center also served as a market-entry location for several national retailers, including Nordstrom, Barnes & Noble, and Virgin Megastores. Its competitive position later came under pressure from Westfield Galleria at Roseville, suburban population shifts, lifestyle centers, and changing consumer shopping patterns. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the loss of traditional anchor stores. Arden Fair closed temporarily on March 17, 2020, and Nordstrom announced in May of that year that its location would not reopen. Sears subsequently announced a closure in January 2021. Fulcrum Property acquired the former Nordstrom building in 2021 and the former Sears building in 2023, enabling the owner to control nearly one-third of the mall's leasable area and pursue a redevelopment strategy. In 2024, tenant relocations and new leasing prepared space for Uniqlo and H&M, each of which opened its first Sacramento location at the mall in September. Restoration Hardware Outlet opened in the former Nordstrom building in December 2025 according to the supplied reference material, while Dick's House of Sport is planned for the former Sears site. Centennial Real Estate Company assumed management responsibility in June 2024. Fulcrum has also described plans for exterior improvements, a redesigned food court, and other changes intended to increase the mall's relevance in Sacramento's changing retail market.
History
Arden Fair developed from a large postwar real-estate project known as Swanston Estates. In March 1954, Heraty and Gannon acquired approximately 234 acres for the planned community, which was to occupy land near Arden Way and Ethan Way across from the California State Fairgrounds. The plans included an extensive shopping area alongside the newly developing freeway network. Sears Roebuck & Company selected part of the property for a major Sacramento store, which opened in 1957. The single-story Sears building was the first major retail facility on the site. In 1956, Heraty and Gannon negotiated a long-term lease with Frank Kassis, an executive of the Sacramento Stop-N-Shop grocery chain. Kassis Investment, operated by Frank, Lewis, Walter, and Edward Kassis, developed the Arden Fair open-air shopping center east of Sears. Completed in 1959, the center contained more than 36 specialty stores in a long, architect-designed building. Development continued in 1961 when Broadway-Hale Stores opened a department store that later became Weinstock's. A further Kassis development opened in 1963, adding approximately 100,000 square feet and more than two dozen additional tenants. The Arden Fair Food Circus opened in 1965 with multiple food stands, seating for more than 600 customers, a florist, and a gift shop. Its cafeteria-style arrangement anticipated the food-court model later adopted by enclosed malls. Kavanau Real Estate Trust purchased the mall portion and associated land in 1968. The first major enclosure project culminated in a May 1971 reopening, when the space between Sears and Weinstock's was enclosed, climate-controlled, and expanded. Morton Friedman and Dennis Marks purchased the property in 1975. Friedman was a Sacramento developer, lawyer, and philanthropist, while Marks was a pediatrician. Their ownership brought a series of improvements, including a substantial 1984 renovation with a new entrance, interior landscaping, and updated storefronts. The decisive transformation came in the late 1980s. Nordstrom was seeking a Sacramento location, but company representatives considered the existing mall in need of modernization. Friedman and Marks committed to a major renovation intended to secure Nordstrom as an anchor. Homart Development Company acquired a half interest in 1987 and became managing partner. Beginning in 1988, Homart led a multistage project costing more than $100 million. The redevelopment added a second floor, approximately 125 new tenants, a food court, a new central court, parking structures, and more than 150,000 square feet of additional space. Nordstrom opened during the project as its first Sacramento-area store. The original Sears building was demolished, and Sears moved into a new structure connected to the mall. The renovation was substantially complete by spring 1990. Heitman Financial acquired Homart's half interest in 1993. JCPenney relocated from Country Club Plaza to Arden Fair in 1994 after a delay related to projected traffic impacts. Its arrival helped make Arden Fair the largest mall in the Sacramento area, with more than 1.1 million square feet. Weinstock's became Macy's in 1996 following Federated Department Stores' acquisition of Broadway Stores; Macy's later remodeled the anchor and added a third level in the basement. The mall reached a high point in regional economic importance around 2000. It was then described as Sacramento's largest individual source of sales-tax revenue, accounting for 8.8 percent of the city's total and producing substantially more sales per square foot than Downtown Plaza. Competition intensified after the opening of Westfield Galleria at Roseville in 2000. Arden Fair's sales growth slowed, and the city and mall owners approved a public-private road-access project on Arden Way. The mall also upgraded bathrooms, the food court, signs, and seating areas. Between 2004 and 2008, KCRA-TV operated a mall studio that allowed visitors to observe production of weekday noon newscasts. The center's anchor strategy changed sharply during the 2020s. The pandemic forced a temporary closure in March 2020, and Nordstrom decided that its store would remain closed. Sears announced its own closure in January 2021. Fulcrum Property, representing the Friedman family ownership, bought the former Nordstrom building in 2021 and the former Sears building in 2023. These acquisitions gave the owner greater flexibility to divide, reuse, or redevelop large anchor spaces. In 2024, Fulcrum reorganized some existing tenants and attracted Uniqlo and H&M, both of which opened their first Sacramento stores at Arden Fair. Centennial Real Estate Company became the mall's manager in June 2024. The current strategy emphasizes replacing conventional department-store space with a mix of national specialty retail, home furnishings, and experiential concepts. Restoration Hardware Outlet began occupying part of the former Nordstrom anchor in December 2025 according to the supplied reference, and Dick's House of Sport is planned for the former Sears building in 2027. Announced plans also include an outdoor athletic facility associated with the Dick's project, exterior renovations, and a redesigned food court. Fulcrum reported in 2024 that the center attracted approximately nine million shoppers annually, suggesting an effort to restore traffic toward pre-pandemic levels.
- 2024
New management and national retailers arrive
[1]Centennial took over management, while Uniqlo and H&M opened their first Sacramento locations at the mall.
- 2020
Nordstrom closes permanently
[1]Nordstrom decided not to reopen its Arden Fair store after the pandemic shutdown.
- 2000
Mall becomes Sacramento's leading sales-tax source
[1]Arden Fair accounted for 8.8 percent of Sacramento's total sales-tax revenue according to the supplied historical reference.
- 1996
Weinstock's becomes Macy's
[1]The department-store anchor was converted to Macy's following Federated's acquisition of Broadway Stores.
- 1994
JCPenney relocates to Arden Fair
[1]JCPenney moved from Country Club Plaza, helping Arden Fair become the Sacramento area's largest mall.
- 1990
Two-level mall redevelopment completed
[1]The final phase included the relocated Sears store and completion of the enlarged indoor mall.
- 1988
Major Homart redevelopment begins
[1]A multistage redevelopment added a second level, new tenants, a food court, parking facilities, and expanded retail space.
- 1975
Friedman and Marks acquire the property
[1]Morton Friedman and Dennis Marks became the mall's owners and began a long period of local ownership and redevelopment.
- 1971
First major enclosed-mall conversion completed
[1]The center was enclosed and climate-controlled, with additional retail space added between its principal anchors.
- 1965
Arden Fair Food Circus opens
[1]A multi-vendor cafeteria and dining complex opened, serving as an early food-court predecessor.
Products and positioning
A large regional shopping center serving Sacramento and the surrounding metropolitan area, combining department stores, national specialty retailers, dining, and emerging experiential retail concepts.
Department stores · 1957
Department-store retail
Department-store merchandise has been central to Arden Fair since the opening of Sears and Hale's. The current department-store offer is represented primarily by Macy's and JCPenney, providing apparel, accessories, beauty, home goods, seasonal merchandise, and other broad-line retail categories.
Apparel · 2024
National apparel specialty retail
Arden Fair's specialty-retail mix includes national apparel concepts. Uniqlo and H&M opened their first Sacramento stores at the mall in September 2024, adding internationally recognized fast-fashion and casual-apparel offerings during the property's repositioning.
Home · 2025
Home furnishings
The former Nordstrom anchor has been repurposed for home-furnishings retail. Restoration Hardware Outlet occupies the lower level according to the supplied reference, bringing a large-format furniture and interior-design-oriented use to a space formerly devoted to department-store retail.
Food and beverage · 1965
Food court and dining
Dining has been part of the complex since the 1965 Food Circus, which brought multiple food vendors together in a cafeteria-style format. The enclosed mall later added a conventional food court, and further redesign of the food-court area is part of the announced modernization program.
Sporting goods and experiential retail
Dick's House of Sport
Dick's House of Sport is planned for the former Sears building. The announced concept includes a large-format sporting-goods store and an outdoor track-and-field facility of approximately 18,600 square feet on or near the former Sears auto-repair area.
Marketing campaigns
- 2024Tenant repositioning and Sacramento-first retailer openings
Sacramento metropolitan area
Fulcrum relocated several tenants to consolidate and redevelop space, creating room for Uniqlo and H&M and supporting a broader shift toward national specialty and experiential retail.
Outcome. Uniqlo and H&M opened their first Sacramento stores at Arden Fair in September 2024.
- 2000Arden Way access improvement partnership
Sacramento
After competition from the new Galleria at Roseville affected sales growth, Sacramento and the mall's owners approved a public-private project to improve road access on Arden Way.
Outcome. The access work was accompanied by upgrades to restrooms, the food court, signage, and seating areas.
- 1988Nordstrom recruitment and mall modernization
Sacramento metropolitan area
Arden Fair's owners pursued Nordstrom as a new anchor and committed to a comprehensive modernization program to meet the retailer's requirements. The project transformed the center into a larger, two-level regional mall.
Outcome. Nordstrom opened its first Sacramento-area store at Arden Fair during the redevelopment.
Brand decisions
2024
Reposition the mall around specialty and experiential retailStrategyBackground
The property faced anchor closures, competition from suburban lifestyle centers, and changes in consumer shopping behavior.
Action taken
Fulcrum relocated tenants, marketed former anchor spaces to new concepts, and announced exterior, food-court, and athletic-facility improvements.
Aftermath
Uniqlo and H&M opened in 2024, Restoration Hardware Outlet occupied part of the former Nordstrom building, and Dick's House of Sport was announced for the former Sears site.
2023
Acquire the former Sears buildingM&ABackground
Sears' closure created another large vacant anchor and gave the owner an opportunity to reshape the mall's tenant mix.
Action taken
Fulcrum Property purchased the former Sears building.
Aftermath
The site became the planned home of a Dick's House of Sport with an associated outdoor athletic facility.
2021
Acquire the former Nordstrom anchorM&ABackground
Nordstrom's permanent departure left a large anchor building vacant during a period of structural change in physical retail.
Action taken
Fulcrum Property purchased the former Nordstrom building and began pursuing alternative tenants and uses.
Aftermath
The building was later partly leased to Restoration Hardware Outlet.
1994
Add JCPenney as a major anchorStrategyBackground
JCPenney planned to relocate from Country Club Plaza, but approval was delayed because of concerns about additional traffic on surrounding roads.
Action taken
Arden Fair replaced a former United Artists cinema space with a new JCPenney anchor.
Aftermath
The mall exceeded 1.1 million square feet and became the largest shopping mall in the Sacramento area at the time.
1987
Approve a major two-level redevelopmentStrategyBackground
Nordstrom viewed the existing property as a strong location that required substantial updating before it would enter the Sacramento market.
Action taken
The owners partnered with Homart Development Company on a more than $100 million, multistage renovation that expanded the mall and added a second level.
Aftermath
The project delivered new circulation, parking, food-court, and tenant space and secured Nordstrom as an anchor.
Redevelopment cost. $100 million or more (1988-1990)
1956
Develop an open-air shopping center beside SearsStrategyBackground
The Sears store had established a major retail presence on the Swanston Estates property, creating an opportunity for a broader shopping complex.
Action taken
Kassis Investment leased land and built Arden Fair as an open-air center with specialty shops.
Aftermath
The center opened in 1959 and became the foundation of the present mall.
Sources2 sources
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