Westfield Oakridge
A regional shopping center in San Jose, California, serving the Blossom Valley and broader South Bay communities.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Westfield Oakridge, commonly referred to as Oakridge, is a shopping center in the Blossom Valley neighborhood of South San Jose, California. It combines department stores, specialty retail, restaurants, entertainment, and services in a large suburban mall complex. The center opened on February 7, 1973, originally anchored by Grants and Montgomery Ward, and has been repeatedly reshaped as department-store formats, retailers, and consumer habits changed. Its first major expansion came in 1978. The former Grants space was converted into additional mall retail, a new shopping wing was built, and Macy's and Bullock's were added as anchor tenants. Bullock's subsequently exited its Northern California operations in 1983, and Nordstrom took over the Oakridge location in 1985. Nordstrom later opened a store at the competing Westfield Valley Fair center in 1987, leaving both locations operating for several years before the Oakridge store closed in 1994. Sears then acquired the former Nordstrom building. Oakridge experienced another significant transition after Montgomery Ward entered bankruptcy in 2001. A proposed replacement based on Sears's Great Indoors home-furnishings concept did not materialize, leaving the anchor building vacant until a two-level Target store replaced it during the center's early-2000s redevelopment. Macy's also expanded its existing store by approximately 75,000 square feet, bringing the location to more than 220,000 square feet according to the cited historical account. Westfield launched a multiyear redevelopment program in summer 2002 that was completed in late 2003. The approximately $150 million project added more than 300,000 square feet and introduced junior anchors, a major cinema, an expanded food court, and a restaurant-oriented frontage along Blossom Hill Road. The new restaurant area included national and regional casual-dining operators, while Century Theatres added a 20-screen entertainment component. The tenant mix continued to evolve after the 2003 redevelopment. The closures and bankruptcies of Borders and Linens 'n Things created replacement opportunities for Nordstrom Rack and Forever 21. H&M opened a roughly 20,000-square-foot store in 2011, occupying part of a reconfigured retail corridor. Westfield purchased the Sears building at Oakridge and two other properties in May 2017, increasing its control of important real estate within the center. Sears announced its closure in January 2018 as part of a nationwide store-reduction plan, and the Oakridge location shut at the end of March that year. Living Spaces later occupied most of the former Sears building in 2019, and 99 Ranch Market became an additional anchor in 2022. Today, Westfield Oakridge functions as a major South Bay shopping and leisure destination rather than a single-format retail brand. Its identity is built around a broad tenant ecosystem: department and discount retail, apparel and specialty stores, furniture and home goods, Asian grocery retail, restaurants, food-court dining, and cinema-based entertainment. Because its tenant roster changes over time, the center's historical significance lies in its repeated adaptation to anchor turnover, retail bankruptcies, redevelopment, and changing patterns of suburban consumption.
History
Westfield Oakridge opened in South San Jose on February 7, 1973, in the Blossom Valley area. Its original anchor lineup consisted of Grants and Montgomery Ward. The center expanded in 1978, when the Grants space was converted into additional mall shops, another retail wing was added, and Macy's and Bullock's joined the anchor lineup. Bullock's withdrew from Northern California in 1983. Its Oakridge building was subsequently used by Nordstrom, which opened there in 1985. Nordstrom also opened a store at the competing Valley Fair shopping center in 1987. Both locations operated simultaneously until Nordstrom closed the Oakridge store in 1994 and sold the building to Sears. The center faced further anchor disruption when Montgomery Ward entered bankruptcy in 2001. The vacant space was initially associated with a possible Great Indoors home-furnishings store, a Sears concept, but that plan did not proceed. In the redevelopment that followed, the building was remodeled for a two-level Target store. Macy's expanded by approximately 75,000 square feet, increasing its total footprint to more than 220,000 square feet. Westfield began a major expansion in summer 2002. Completed in late 2003, the approximately $150 million project added more than 300,000 square feet. It brought Linens 'n Things and Borders as junior anchors, a 20-screen Century Theatres cinema, a large food court, and a restaurant row facing Blossom Hill Road. The restaurant area included The Cheesecake Factory, California Pizza Kitchen, BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse, P.F. Chang's China Bistro, and Buca di Beppo at the time described by the historical source. Tenant changes continued as retail chains encountered financial difficulties or changed their store strategies. Borders and Linens 'n Things eventually closed, after which Nordstrom Rack took the Linens 'n Things space and Forever 21 moved from a smaller inline unit into the former Borders location. H&M opened a roughly 20,000-square-foot store in 2011, requiring the reconfiguration of a hallway and several tenant spaces. In May 2017, Westfield purchased the Sears building at Oakridge and two other properties. Sears announced in January 2018 that the Oakridge store would close as part of a nationwide program affecting 103 stores. The store ceased operations at the end of March 2018. Living Spaces occupied most of the former Sears building in 2019, and 99 Ranch Market opened as another anchor in 2022. The center's history therefore reflects the continuing redevelopment of a regional mall in response to anchor turnover, retail-chain failures, competition from nearby centers, and the growing importance of dining, entertainment, furniture, and grocery uses alongside traditional department stores.
- 2022
99 Ranch Market opens
[1]99 Ranch Market opened as an additional anchor at the shopping center.
- 2019
Living Spaces occupies former Sears building
[1]Living Spaces opened in most of the former Sears building.
- 2018
Sears closes
[1]The Oakridge Sears store closed at the end of March after being included in a nationwide closure announcement.
- 2017
Westfield acquires Sears property
[1]Westfield purchased the Sears building at Oakridge and two additional properties.
- 2011
H&M joins the tenant mix
[1]H&M opened a large store requiring the reworking of part of the mall's internal retail layout.
- 2003
Major redevelopment completed
[1]A major redevelopment added more than 300,000 square feet, Target, expanded Macy's space, a cinema, food court, junior anchors, and restaurant uses.
- 2001
Montgomery Ward anchor becomes vacant
[1]Montgomery Ward's bankruptcy left an anchor vacancy at the center.
- 1994
Nordstrom departs
[1]Nordstrom closed its Oakridge store and sold the building to Sears.
- 1985
Nordstrom opens at Oakridge
[1]Nordstrom opened in the former Bullock's building after Bullock's exited Northern California.
- 1978
First major expansion
[1]The former Grants space was converted into mall retail, a new wing was added, and Macy's and Bullock's became anchors.
Products and positioning
A large suburban regional shopping center positioned as a combined retail, dining, grocery, and entertainment destination for San Jose's South Bay market.
Retail · 1973
Department and discount retail
Oakridge has historically relied on large-format department and discount stores as traffic-driving anchors. The lineup has included Grants, Montgomery Ward, Macy's, Bullock's, Nordstrom, Sears, Target, and later replacement concepts. These stores have provided apparel, household goods, beauty products, seasonal merchandise, and general retail, while their succession illustrates the center's adaptation to changes in department-store retail.
Specialty retail · 2003
Specialty fashion and home retail
The center's specialty-retail offer has included apparel, accessories, home furnishings, and value-oriented formats. Historical tenants and replacements have included Linens 'n Things, Borders, Nordstrom Rack, Forever 21, H&M, and Living Spaces. The mix has changed as chains have closed, relocated, or adjusted their footprints, but specialty retail remains a central part of the mall's proposition.
Food and beverage · 2003
Dining and food court
The 2002–2003 redevelopment added a substantial food court and a restaurant row facing Blossom Hill Road. The historical tenant lineup included The Cheesecake Factory, California Pizza Kitchen, BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse, P.F. Chang's China Bistro, and Buca di Beppo. Together, these uses helped position Oakridge as a dining destination as well as a shopping center.
Entertainment · 2003
Cinema entertainment
A 20-screen Century Theatres cinema was added during the major redevelopment completed in 2003. The cinema expanded Oakridge's role beyond daytime shopping by providing an evening and leisure attraction within the broader mall complex.
Grocery retail · 2022
99 Ranch Market
99 Ranch Market became an additional anchor in 2022, adding a large Asian grocery and specialty-food component to Oakridge's tenant ecosystem and broadening the center's everyday shopping appeal.
Brand decisions
2018
Replacement planning follows Sears closureStrategyBackground
Sears announced that its Oakridge store would close as part of a nationwide plan to reduce its store base.
Action taken
After the store closed at the end of March, most of the former Sears building was subsequently converted for Living Spaces.
Aftermath
The anchor space moved from department-store retail toward furniture and home-oriented use, with 99 Ranch Market later adding another anchor format in 2022.
2017
Westfield acquires the Sears building and other Oakridge propertiesM&ABackground
The Sears building represented an important anchor asset within the shopping center, while ownership of adjoining properties could support longer-term control and redevelopment flexibility.
Action taken
Westfield purchased the Sears building at Oakridge and two other properties.
Aftermath
The acquisition gave Westfield greater control over the center's anchor real estate before Sears subsequently closed its store.
2003
Redevelopment shifts Oakridge toward mixed-use mall entertainmentStrategyBackground
The center faced anchor disruption and needed to respond to changing suburban retail demand after Montgomery Ward's bankruptcy and the vacancy of a major store space.
Action taken
Westfield completed an approximately $150 million redevelopment that added more than 300,000 square feet, a Target anchor, expanded Macy's space, junior anchors, a cinema, a food court, and restaurant-oriented frontage.
Aftermath
The project diversified Oakridge beyond traditional department stores and created a larger role for dining and entertainment in the center's customer proposition.
Redevelopment cost. $150 million (2002–2003)
Sources2 sources
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