Somersville Towne Center
A regional shopping mall in Antioch, California, and the only enclosed regional mall in east Contra Costa County.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Somersville Towne Center is a regional shopping mall in Antioch, California, serving communities in east Contra Costa County and the broader eastern San Francisco Bay Area. The property opened in April 1966 as County East Shopping Center, an approximately 209,000-square-foot open-air center developed by The Hahn Company. Its first major anchor was W. T. Grant, and the center was established as the largest shopping destination in East Contra Costa County at the time. The property expanded and changed its tenant mix repeatedly during the following decades. Sears moved its Antioch operation from downtown to a new store at the center in 1973, while Mervyn's opened its twelfth location there during the same year. JCPenney became another anchor in the late 1970s after replacing Grant's. Ownership also changed hands: The Hahn Company sold the property to Hexalon Real Estate in 1978, and Macerich acquired it in 1986. A major redevelopment in the late 1980s converted the open-air center into an enclosed shopping mall. Gottschalks was added as a fourth anchor, and the remodeled property reopened in November 1989 under the name County East Mall. This enclosed format reinforced the center's role as a regional retail destination at a time when Antioch and surrounding communities were experiencing population growth and rising household incomes. The center's anchor lineup shifted substantially from the 1990s onward. JCPenney announced the closure of its store in 1996, and the former space was later gutted. Macy's opened a new, two-story, approximately 107,142-square-foot store on that site in July 2004. The mall adopted the name Somersville Towne Center in late 2003, with the 2004 Macy's opening and an interior cosmetic renovation completing a major repositioning. The work included new paint, landscaping, flooring, and entrance improvements and was reported to have cost approximately $20 million. Subsequent closures reflected broader pressures affecting department stores and enclosed malls. Mervyn's closed its approximately 73,000-square-foot location in December 2008 after announcing a program of closures at underperforming stores. Gottschalks left in 2009 during the retailer's bankruptcy. Parts of the former Gottschalks building were later reused, including a 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport club that occupied half of the space in 2016; the other half remained vacant. Fallas Paredes, operated by Factory 2-U, opened in the former Mervyn's location in 2013, while Smart & Final replaced Marshalls in 2015. Macerich sold the mall to Time Equities in 2014, with Spinoso Real Estate Group identified as leasing agent in the available reference material. Sears closed in October 2019 as part of a national store-reduction program. Macy's closed in 2020, and Fallas, which had been the last anchor with access to the interior mall, shut down in August 2022. As of the supplied 2025 description, 24 Hour Fitness and Smart & Final remained the principal anchors, although neither provided access to the enclosed mall interior. Starbucks operated on the outer portion of the property, Shiekh Shoes was described as the last remaining national chain operating within the mall area, and a small number of independent retailers continued to trade. The property remains active but substantially diminished from its department-store-era peak.
History
Somersville Towne Center began in April 1966 as County East Shopping Center, an open-air retail complex developed by The Hahn Company in Antioch, California. Its original footprint was approximately 209,000 square feet, making it the largest shopping center in East Contra Costa County. W. T. Grant served as the original anchor. The center was intended to meet the needs of a growing suburban market in the eastern part of Contra Costa County, an area that later experienced substantial population and household-income growth. The center's first major expansion phase took place in the early 1970s. Sears transferred its Antioch store from downtown to a new approximately 72,000-square-foot building at the center in 1973. Mervyn's opened its twelfth store at the property on July 8 of that year. In late 1976, JCPenney replaced Grant's as a third anchor. The property changed ownership in 1978, when The Hahn Company sold it to Hexalon Real Estate. Macerich acquired the center from Hexalon in 1986. During the late 1980s, Macerich undertook a major redevelopment that converted the open-air shopping center into an enclosed mall. Gottschalks was added as a fourth anchor, and the remodeled property reopened in November 1989 as County East Mall. The conversion gave Antioch an enclosed regional shopping destination and differentiated the center from smaller neighborhood retail properties. The anchor lineup became less stable during the 1990s and 2000s. JCPenney announced in November 1996 that it would close its store on January 25, 1997. The former JCPenney building was occupied for several years by a furniture retailer before being gutted in mid-2003. The property was renamed Somersville Towne Center in late 2003. On July 30, 2004, Macy's opened a new two-story, approximately 107,142-square-foot store on the former JCPenney site. The project also included an interior cosmetic renovation, new paint, landscaping, flooring, and entrance upgrades. The reported cost of the work was approximately $20 million. A further expansion brought Michael's to the center; that space later became a Marshalls location in March 2008. Retailer failures and department-store retrenchment then reshaped the property. Mervyn's announced in August 2008 that its Somersville location would close, and the store shut in December. Gottschalks closed its store in mid-2009 during bankruptcy proceedings. In 2013, Factory 2-U opened a Fallas Paredes store in the former Mervyn's space. Marshalls also closed in 2013, with Smart & Final eventually taking the space in 2015. The former Gottschalks building was considered for a trampoline park in 2012, and 24 Hour Fitness later occupied half of the building in December 2016. The other half remained vacant. Macerich sold Somersville Towne Center to Time Equities in 2014, with Spinoso Real Estate Group serving as leasing agent according to the available reference material. Hibbett Sports opened in November 2018 in space formerly associated with Hot Topic and Zumiez. Sears announced its closure in August 2019, and the store closed on October 27. Macy's announced in January 2020 that it would close the location as part of a national program; the store closed in April. Fallas remained the last anchor with access to the enclosed mall interior until it closed in August 2022. By the supplied 2025 account, 24 Hour Fitness and Smart & Final were the principal remaining anchors, but both were inaccessible from the mall interior. Starbucks operated on the outer portion of the property, Shiekh Shoes was described as the final operating national chain in the mall area, and a limited number of independent stores remained. Somersville Towne Center therefore continued to operate as a retail property, but its role had shifted from a conventional department-store-anchored regional mall toward a smaller, fragmented mix of service, value-oriented, specialty, and independent tenants.
- 2022
Fallas closes
[1]Fallas closed in August, leaving no anchor with direct access to the enclosed mall interior.
- 2020
Macy's closes
[1]Macy's closed its Somersville Towne Center store in April under a nationwide store-reduction program.
- 2019
Sears closes
[1]The Sears store closed on October 27 as part of a national plan to close 26 stores.
- 2018
Hibbett Sports opens
[1]Hibbett Sports opened in November in space formerly associated with Hot Topic and Zumiez.
- 2016
24 Hour Fitness opens in former Gottschalks space
[1]A 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport club occupied approximately half of the former Gottschalks building.
- 2015
Smart & Final replaces Marshalls
[1]Smart & Final opened in the space vacated by Marshalls.
- 2014
Time Equities becomes owner
[1]Macerich sold the mall to Time Equities, with Spinoso Real Estate Group identified as leasing agent.
- 2013
Fallas Paredes opens
[1]Factory 2-U opened a Fallas Paredes store in the former Mervyn's location.
- 2009
Gottschalks closes during bankruptcy
[1]Gottschalks left the property, creating another vacant anchor space.
- 2008
Mervyn's closes
[1]Mervyn's closed its Somersville location in December after announcing a program of closures at underperforming stores.
Products and positioning
A community-serving regional shopping center and the only enclosed regional mall in east Contra Costa County, positioned between local everyday retail and larger destination shopping centers such as The Streets of Brentwood.
Shopping center · 1966
Regional enclosed shopping mall
The property's core offering is a regional shopping environment serving Antioch and surrounding east Contra Costa County communities. It evolved from an open-air center into an enclosed mall in 1989 and historically combined department stores, specialty retailers, food outlets, and services. The available reference material describes the mall as approximately 501,259 square feet in its later configuration.
Fitness center · 2016
24 Hour Fitness Super Sport
A large-format fitness club occupying approximately half of the former Gottschalks anchor building. It represents the property's shift toward service and experiential uses as traditional department-store anchors departed.
Grocery and household retail · 2015
Smart & Final
Smart & Final replaced Marshalls in 2015 and became one of the principal remaining anchor tenants. Its warehouse-style grocery and everyday-essentials format serves a more utilitarian shopping mission than the department stores that historically anchored the mall.
Value apparel retail · 2013
Fallas Paredes
Factory 2-U opened Fallas Paredes in the former Mervyn's space in 2013. The value-oriented apparel anchor remained the last major tenant with access to the enclosed mall interior after Macy's closed, but it shut down in August 2022.
Brand decisions
2014
Sell the property to Time EquitiesM&ABackground
After years of anchor turnover and changing retail conditions, Macerich no longer retained ownership of the property.
Action taken
Macerich sold Somersville Towne Center to Time Equities, with Spinoso Real Estate Group identified as leasing agent.
Aftermath
The property continued operating under new ownership while its tenant mix increasingly shifted toward value retail, grocery, fitness, and independent businesses.
2004
Rebrand and reposition the mall around Macy'sStrategyBackground
JCPenney's former anchor space had been vacated and later gutted, creating an opportunity to modernize the property and replace a major department-store tenant.
Action taken
The property adopted the Somersville Towne Center name, opened a new two-story Macy's building, and completed cosmetic improvements to the interior, landscaping, flooring, entrances, and overall presentation.
Aftermath
The renovation refreshed the mall and restored a major department-store anchor, although later national retail closures again reduced the property's anchor base.
Reported renovation cost. US$20 million (2004 renovation)
1989
Convert the open-air center into an enclosed mallGeneration changeBackground
The property had operated as an open-air shopping center since 1966 and was being positioned as a larger regional destination for a growing East Contra Costa County market.
Action taken
The owner undertook a major redevelopment, added Gottschalks as an anchor, and reopened the property in November 1989 as County East Mall.
Aftermath
The conversion established the property as Antioch's enclosed regional mall and supported a department-store-centered operating model for subsequent decades.
Recent events
- 2022
Fallas closes, leaving major interior anchor space vacant[1]
Other
Fallas closed its Somersville Towne Center location in August, leaving the mall without an anchor tenant that opened directly into the enclosed interior.
- 2020
Macy's announces closure of Somersville Towne Center store[1]
Other
Macy's announced on January 8 that the store would close in April under a nationwide program involving 125 store closures.
- 2019
Sears announces Somersville Towne Center closure[1]
Bankruptcy · Other
Sears announced on August 6 that its Somersville Towne Center store would close on October 27 as part of a plan to shut 26 stores nationwide.
- 2016
24 Hour Fitness occupies part of former Gottschalks building[1]
Product launch
A 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport club opened in approximately half of the former Gottschalks space; the remaining half was reported vacant.
- 2014
Time Equities acquires Somersville Towne Center[1]
M&A
Macerich sold the mall to Time Equities. Spinoso Real Estate Group was identified as the leasing agent in the available reference material.
- 2009
Gottschalks leaves the mall during bankruptcy[1]
Bankruptcy
Gottschalks closed its Somersville Towne Center store in the middle of its bankruptcy proceedings, leaving another anchor space vacant.
- 2008
Mervyn's closes Somersville Towne Center store[1]
Bankruptcy
Mervyn's announced the closure of its approximately 73,000-square-foot location as part of a broader program targeting underperforming stores. The store closed in December.
- 2004
Macy's opens at renamed Somersville Towne Center[1]
Product launch · Product generation
Macy's opened a new two-story anchor on July 30, 2004, following the property's renaming and a reported $20 million renovation.
- 1996
JCPenney announces closure of its County East Mall store[1]
Other
JCPenney announced that its store would close in January 1997. The former anchor building was later used by a furniture retailer before being gutted in 2003.
- 1989
County East Mall reopens as an enclosed shopping center[1]
Product generation
After a major redevelopment, the former open-air center reopened in November as County East Mall, with Gottschalks added as a fourth anchor.
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