The Outlets at Orange

The Outlets at Orange is an open-air outlet shopping, dining, and entertainment center in the city of Orange in northern Orange County, California. The property occupies a site that previously housed The City Shopping Center, an enclosed mall that operated from 1970 until its closure and demolition in 1996. The current center was developed by the Mills Corporation and opened in November 1998 under the name The Block at Orange. The property was conceived as a departure from a conventional enclosed shopping mall. Its design combined outlet-oriented retail with restaurants, entertainment venues, and lifestyle uses, seeking to serve local residents, office workers, tourists visiting nearby Disneyland, and value-conscious shoppers from across Orange County. Its original branding, “The Block at Orange,” emphasized an urban entertainment-district identity rather than a traditional suburban mall format. The center was also notable as Mills Corporation’s first outdoor property that did not use the Mills name. The predecessor property, The City Shopping Center, had been the commercial centerpiece of a broader mixed-use development known as The City. It included department stores, cinemas, hotels, offices, restaurants, a gym, a post office, and other services. The mall’s performance weakened during the early 1990s after the nearby MainPlace development in Santa Ana expanded substantially and attracted department-store traffic. May Company closed its store at The City in 1991, followed by J. C. Penney in 1995. The enclosed mall was subsequently demolished. After the 1998 redevelopment, The Block at Orange assembled a tenant mix combining outlet retailers, national specialty stores, restaurants, cinemas, and recreational attractions. Its entertainment-oriented character included a Vans Skate Park, one of the few remaining facilities of its type in the United States after many comparable skate parks closed or changed ownership. The center also gained wider popular exposure when its former Virgin Megastore location appeared in the film Borat during a scene involving Pamela Anderson. Simon Property Group acquired the Mills Corporation’s portfolio in 2007. The Outlets at Orange is co-owned by Simon Property Group, which holds a 50 percent interest, and KanAm, which owns the remaining 50 percent and participated in the property’s development and financing. In 2011, the center was renamed The Outlets at Orange, aligning its public identity more directly with its outlet-retail role. The property expanded on its eastern side in two principal phases. The first phase added Nordstrom Rack and was completed in 2013. A second phase was completed in 2016 and added five stores, including Gap Factory Store, Polo Ralph Lauren, and Orange County’s first Bloomingdale’s Outlet. The expansion was initially planned to include twelve stores, but the final number was reduced because some prospective tenants, including Bloomingdale’s, sought larger spaces. For many years, the center was the only outlet mall in Orange County. That position changed when The Outlets at San Clemente opened in 2015, creating a closer competing outlet destination for some Orange County shoppers, while Citadel Outlets remained another major regional competitor near Commerce. The Outlets at Orange continues to operate as a hybrid outlet and entertainment destination rather than a pure retail strip, with its brand built around discounted fashion and specialty shopping, food and beverage, leisure activities, and proximity to the Anaheim and Disneyland tourism corridor.

The site of The Outlets at Orange was previously occupied by The City Shopping Center, an enclosed mall opened in 1970 as part of a larger mixed-use development called The City. The mall served middle-income residents, nearby office workers, and visitors traveling to Disneyland. Its principal department-store anchors included J. C. Penney and Walker Scott, the latter becoming a May Company location in 1974. The surrounding development also contained hotels, office buildings, movie theaters, restaurants, a gym, a post office, and other services. The City Shopping Center faced increasing competition after the nearby Santa Ana Fashion Square was expanded and renamed MainPlace. MainPlace added major department-store capacity during the late 1980s and early 1990s, drawing customers away from The City. May Company closed its store at The City in July 1991, and J. C. Penney closed in February 1995. The enclosed mall shut down and was demolished in late 1996. Mills Corporation purchased the redevelopment site. Although Mills initially considered converting the former property into a Mills-branded center called City Mills, it instead developed an open-air lifestyle and outlet center with retail stores, restaurants, and entertainment attractions. The resulting property opened in November 1998 as The Block at Orange. It was significant within the Mills portfolio because it was the company’s first outdoor shopping center that did not carry the Mills name. The center’s tenant roster changed substantially over time. Ron Jon Surf Shop departed in 2008 and was replaced by Neiman Marcus Last Call. Virgin Megastore, Hilo Hattie, and Steve & Barry’s closed in 2009; replacement occupants included Off Broadway Shoes, H&M, Thrill It Fun Center, and Guitar Center. Borders closed in 2011 as its parent chain liquidated its stores, and Sports Authority took over the space. Sports Authority itself was later liquidated in 2016 following the retailer’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. Furniture & Beyond occupied the former Sports Authority location for a short period before closing. The property changed ownership context in 2007 when Simon Property Group acquired the Mills Corporation. The center remained jointly owned, with Simon holding a 50 percent interest and KanAm holding the other 50 percent. KanAm had also participated in the original development and financing. In 2011, the property was rebranded The Outlets at Orange, a name intended to foreground its outlet-shopping proposition. Two eastern expansion phases followed. The first, completed in 2013, added Nordstrom Rack. The second, completed in 2016, delivered five new stores, including Gap Factory Store, Polo Ralph Lauren, and Bloomingdale’s Outlet. The project had initially been planned for twelve stores, but the final expansion was smaller because certain tenants required larger floor areas. The center historically held a distinctive position in the local retail market because it was for a long period the only outlet mall in Orange County. The opening of The Outlets at San Clemente in 2015 introduced a significant in-county competitor, while Citadel Outlets near Commerce remained another regional alternative. Despite this competition, The Outlets at Orange retained a differentiated format centered on open-air shopping, discounted national brands, dining, recreation, and entertainment. Its Vans Skate Park is among the relatively few surviving facilities of its kind in the United States. The former Virgin Megastore location also received cultural visibility through its appearance in the film Borat.

1. 2016The second eastern expansion phase is completed

   Five new stores are added, including Gap Factory Store, Polo Ralph Lauren, and Bloomingdale’s Outlet.

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2. 2015The Outlets at San Clemente opens

   A new Orange County outlet center creates additional regional competition for The Outlets at Orange.

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3. 2013Nordstrom Rack opens in the first expansion phase

   The first phase of eastern expansion is completed with the addition of Nordstrom Rack.

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4. 2011The property adopts its current name

   The Block at Orange is renamed The Outlets at Orange.

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5. 2007Simon Property Group acquires Mills

   Simon Property Group acquires the Mills Corporation, bringing the property into Simon’s portfolio.

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6. 1998The Block at Orange opens

   Mills Corporation opens an open-air outlet and entertainment center on the former mall site.

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7. 1996The City Shopping Center is demolished

   The former enclosed mall closes and is demolished to make way for redevelopment.

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8. 1995J. C. Penney leaves the mall

   J. C. Penney closes its location, removing another major anchor from The City Shopping Center.

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9. 1991May Company closes its store

   May Company closes its department-store location at The City Shopping Center amid growing competition from MainPlace.

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10. 1970The City Shopping Center opens

    An enclosed mall opens on the future site of The Outlets at Orange as part of The City mixed-use development.

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A regional open-air outlet and entertainment destination combining value-oriented fashion retail with restaurants, recreation, and tourism-adjacent leisure uses.

• Open-air outlet retailRetail destination1998

  The center’s core offering is a collection of outlet and factory stores selling apparel, footwear, accessories, sports goods, and lifestyle merchandise. Its tenant mix combines national brands with off-price retail, giving the property a value-oriented proposition while preserving the scale and variety of a regional shopping center.

• Dining and entertainmentLeisure and hospitality1998

  Restaurants, cinemas, recreational venues, and other leisure uses complement the retail component. This combination was central to the original Block at Orange concept and distinguishes the property from a conventional enclosed outlet mall focused only on merchandise.

• Vans Skate ParkRecreation

  The Vans Skate Park is a notable recreational attraction at the center. It became particularly distinctive as many comparable skate parks in the United States closed or were sold to other operators during the 2000s.

• 2016Second phase of eastern expansionStrategy

  The planned expansion was intended to add twelve stores, but some prospective tenants required larger premises than the project could provide.

  What changed. The completed second phase delivered five stores, including Gap Factory Store, Polo Ralph Lauren, and Bloomingdale’s Outlet.

  Aftermath. The center added notable fashion and outlet tenants, although the final project was smaller than originally planned.

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• 2013First phase of eastern expansionStrategy

  The property pursued additional retail capacity after its repositioning as an outlet center.

  What changed. The first expansion phase added a Nordstrom Rack store on the eastern side of the property.

  Aftermath. The project broadened the center’s off-price retail offer and prepared the site for a subsequent expansion phase.

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• 2011Rebrand from The Block at Orange to The Outlets at OrangeStrategy

  The property had operated since 1998 with a lifestyle and entertainment-oriented identity, but its retail mix and market role increasingly centered on outlet shopping.

  What changed. Management changed the public name to The Outlets at Orange to make the outlet format more explicit.

  Aftermath. The new name positioned the center more directly within the outlet-mall segment while retaining its dining, entertainment, and recreational components.

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• 2016Second expansion phase adds five stores

  The second phase of the eastern expansion added five stores, including Gap Factory Store, Polo Ralph Lauren, and Bloomingdale's Outlet.

  Product launch
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• 2013Nordstrom Rack expansion phase is completed

  The first phase of an eastern expansion added a Nordstrom Rack store.

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• 2011The Block at Orange is renamed The Outlets at Orange

  The center adopted a new name that more explicitly highlighted its outlet-retail format.

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• 2007Simon Property Group acquires Mills properties

  Simon Property Group acquired the Mills Corporation and consequently took control of the Mills-related property portfolio, including The Block at Orange.

  M&A
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• 1998The Block at Orange opens

  Mills Corporation opened a new open-air shopping and entertainment center on the former City Shopping Center site under the name The Block at Orange.

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1. The Outlets at Orange
2. The Outlets at Orange official website