Chico Marketplace
An enclosed shopping mall in Chico, California, formerly known as Chico Mall.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Chico Marketplace is an enclosed shopping mall in Chico, California, United States. The property opened in 1988 as Chico Mall with more than 95 stores and an initial development cost reported at more than $4 million. Its original anchor lineup consisted of Troutman's Emporium, Gottschalks, Longs Drugs, and Sears. The mall's opening added a large enclosed retail destination to the Chico market and competed with North Valley Plaza, another local shopping center that later adopted a conventional open-air retail format. The center's tenant mix changed substantially over time as department-store and specialty-retail chains exited the market. Longs Drugs was converted into a JCPenney location soon after the mall opened, with the drugstore operation moving to nearby Paradise. Gottschalks left the property after the chain failed, and its former space later became a Forever 21 store in 2009. Forever 21 closed in 2020 as part of the retailer's nationwide store-reduction program. The former Troutman's space also went through a transition: after Troutman's bankruptcy and closure, the building was ultimately converted into a Dick's Sporting Goods store, which opened in 2012. Sears, the last of the original anchors to remain, announced its closure in 2017 and shut the store later that year. The property was renamed Chico Marketplace on May 13, 2020, when it reopened following the COVID-19 shutdown that had closed the mall in March. The reopening was accompanied by a repositioning of the tenant mix. Planet Fitness replaced the former food court and opened in July 2020, while H&M opened in September of the same year. The former Gottschalks and Forever 21 building was subsequently repopulated with Burlington, Petco, and HomeGoods during 2021, followed by Boot Barn in 2023. At Home occupied the former Sears location beginning in February 2023, although its tenure ended in August 2025 after the retailer announced a nationwide store-closure program. Chico Marketplace is therefore best understood as a local and regional shopping-center brand rather than a national retail chain. Its present identity is based on a mixture of department-store replacements, off-price retail, home furnishings, sporting goods, apparel, pet supplies, fitness, and western-wear tenants. The available reference material does not identify the property's owner, operator, corporate group, website, or financial performance.
History
Chico Marketplace opened in 1988 as Chico Mall, an enclosed shopping center in Chico, California. The original development contained more than 95 stores and reportedly cost more than $4 million to build. Its initial anchor tenants were Troutman's Emporium, Gottschalks, Longs Drugs, and Sears. The mall expanded the enclosed-retail offering available to Chico-area consumers and operated alongside North Valley Plaza, a competing local shopping destination that later changed into a conventional shopping center. The first major anchor adjustment occurred soon after opening. Longs Drugs was converted into a JCPenney store, which moved into the mall from North Valley Plaza. Longs subsequently relocated its drugstore operation to nearby Paradise. This change established JCPenney as one of the center's continuing major tenants while reducing the role of the original drugstore anchor. The property later experienced the retail-sector disruptions that affected many traditional department-store malls. Troutman's Emporium entered bankruptcy and closed. Plans initially contemplated demolishing the former Troutman's structure and replacing it with a new lifestyle-center wing, but the building was instead reused. After a period in which it housed a local furniture store, the space was converted into Dick's Sporting Goods, which opened in 2012. Gottschalks also left the mall after the department-store chain went out of business. Its former location was converted into a Forever 21 store in 2009. Forever 21 closed the location in 2020 as part of a national program to shut 111 stores. The former Gottschalks/Forever 21 building was later divided among new tenants. Burlington, Petco, and HomeGoods opened there during 2021, and Boot Barn occupied the remaining space in 2023. Sears, the final surviving original anchor, announced in June 2017 that its Chico Mall store would close as part of a national program affecting 72 Sears locations. The store closed in September 2017. The former Sears building subsequently became home to At Home, which opened on February 8, 2023. At Home later announced in June 2025 that the Chico store would close within a broader plan to close 26 locations; the store ceased operations on August 24, 2025. The mall's most visible identity change came during the COVID-19 pandemic. The property closed in March 2020 as part of the public-health shutdowns. When it reopened on May 13, 2020, it adopted the Chico Marketplace name. The reopening coincided with a change in the center's service and retail composition. Planet Fitness opened in July 2020 in the former food-court area, and H&M opened in September. These additions, together with later Burlington, HomeGoods, Petco, Boot Barn, and other tenants, shifted the property away from its original department-store-centered model toward a more diversified regional shopping-center format. The available reference material does not establish the property's ownership, management company, founder, corporate parent, financial performance, or current executive leadership. Chico Marketplace remains an active shopping-center property serving Chico and the surrounding area.
- 2025
At Home store closes
[1]The At Home location closes on August 24 after the retailer announces a broader program affecting 26 stores.
- 2023
Boot Barn and At Home open
[1]Boot Barn fills remaining space in the former Gottschalks building, while At Home opens in the former Sears location.
- 2021
Former department-store space is repopulated
[1]Burlington, Petco, and HomeGoods open in the former Gottschalks and Forever 21 building.
- 2020
Mall renamed Chico Marketplace
[1]The property reopens after the COVID-19 shutdown under the Chico Marketplace name.
- 2020
Planet Fitness and H&M join the tenant mix
[1]Planet Fitness opens in July and H&M opens in September as part of the property's repositioning.
- 2017
Sears announces store closure
[1]Sears announces that its Chico Mall location will close as part of a national closure program; the store closes in September.
- 2012
Dick's Sporting Goods opens
[1]The former Troutman's building is reused for a Dick's Sporting Goods location.
- 2009
Forever 21 replaces Gottschalks
[1]The former Gottschalks anchor space becomes a Forever 21 store after Gottschalks exits the market.
- 1988
Chico Mall opens
[1]The enclosed mall opens in Chico with more than 95 stores and original anchors Troutman's Emporium, Gottschalks, Longs Drugs, and Sears.
- 1988
Longs Drugs space becomes JCPenney
[1]The Longs Drugs location is converted into a JCPenney store, which relocates from North Valley Plaza.
Products and positioning
A regional enclosed shopping center serving Chico and surrounding Northern California communities through a diversified tenant mix of national retailers, specialty stores, fitness services, and home-oriented merchants.
Department store
JCPenney
JCPenney is a continuing major anchor at Chico Marketplace. It occupies space originally associated with Longs Drugs, which was converted to the department-store use shortly after the mall opened.
Sporting goods · 2012
Dick's Sporting Goods
Dick's Sporting Goods occupies the former Troutman's Emporium building. The store opened in 2012 after the former anchor's bankruptcy and closure, preserving the building through reuse rather than the planned demolition and redevelopment.
Off-price retail · 2021
Burlington
Burlington is one of the retailers occupying the former Gottschalks and Forever 21 anchor building. It contributes an off-price apparel and general-merchandise offer to the center's post-department-store tenant mix.
Home goods · 2021
HomeGoods
HomeGoods opened in the former Gottschalks and Forever 21 building during 2021, adding a home-decor and household-goods component to Chico Marketplace.
Apparel · 2020
H&M
H&M opened at the property in September 2020 as part of the tenant changes introduced when the mall reopened under the Chico Marketplace name.
Pet retail · 2021
Petco
Petco joined the center's tenant mix in 2021, providing pet-supply retail and related services from space in the former department-store building.
Western wear · 2023
Boot Barn
Boot Barn opened in 2023 in the remaining portion of the former Gottschalks and Forever 21 building, adding western apparel, boots, and workwear to the mall's retail offer.
Fitness services · 2020
Planet Fitness
Planet Fitness opened on July 28, 2020, replacing the former food court. Its addition broadened the property beyond conventional shopping by introducing a large fitness-services tenant.
Home furnishings · 2023
At Home
At Home opened in the former Sears building on February 8, 2023. The home-furnishings retailer later closed the location on August 24, 2025, following a nationwide store-closure plan.
Brand decisions
2023
Add At Home to the former Sears locationProduct launchBackground
Sears had closed its longtime anchor store in 2017, leaving a large vacant building at the property.
Action taken
At Home opened in the former Sears space on February 8.
Aftermath
The building returned to retail use, although the At Home store later closed in August 2025 as part of the retailer's broader closure program.
2020
Rename and reposition the mall as Chico MarketplaceStrategyBackground
The property had closed during the COVID-19 lockdown and was preparing to reopen amid major changes in traditional department-store retail.
Action taken
The mall reopened on May 13 under the Chico Marketplace name, with Planet Fitness and H&M added during the same repositioning period.
Aftermath
The renamed center developed a more diversified tenant base spanning apparel, home goods, pets, fitness, sporting goods, and western wear.
Sources1 sources
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