Arden Fair mall has been in Sacramento for nearly 70 years. A timeline of its growth
Arden Fair mall has long been a vital economic asset to Sacramento.
Since its opening in 1957, Arden Fair has firmly established itself in Sacramento’s retail world.
It is now home to more than 150 specialty stores including long-time anchor stores Macy’s and JCPenney as well as contemporary stores such as Michael Kors, Coach and Lululemon.
“Over the last six decades, Arden Fair has grown with Sacramento, evolving from a single-story, outdoor shopping center into the two-story, enclosed shopping and community gathering location it is today,” the mall’s website reads.
As the mall approaches its 70th year and looks ahead to new business, here’s a brief look at its history.
The 1950s: Arden Fair mall was constructed by Kassis Investment, a firm run by brothers Edward, Walter, Frank, John and Lewis Kassis. The siblings had connections to a grocery store that was housed in the open-air shopping complex in the 1950s.
In 1954, the development firm, Heraty and Gannon purchased the 234 acres of land Arden Fair mall currently sits on. The site was meant for Swanston Estates, a North Sacramento neighborhood and shopping area, according to past Sacramento Bee reporting.
Sears was part of the foundation for the mall in its early days. In 1956, the Arden Fair development would be solidified with a 55-year-long lease. In 1959, 36 stores would open in the mall complex with an expansion in 1961 following the opening of a Hale Brothers Department Store.
The 1960s: As the mid-‘60s rolled around, Hale’s merged with Weinstock’s and General Electric Service and Arden Fair Food Circus arrived at the shopping complex.
The end of the decade, 1968, also saw the mall’s ownership move from the Kassis brothers to Kavanau Real Estate Trust.
The 1970s: Arden Fair was transformed into an indoor mall in 1971. Four years later, ownership transferred to Dennis Marks and Morton Friedman, both Sacramento locals, according to past Sacramento Bee reporting.
The 1980s: Throughout the 1980s, the mall went through several more remodels and renovations. More businesses arrived as well, including Nordstrom, which opened in 1989. That same year, Weinstock’s began remodeling its department store.
The 1990s: Weinstock’s was rebranded as Macy’s in 1996, a major move, Carmen Lytle, the mall’s general manager told The Bee at the time.
“We’re hoping it will increase the number of people because there are a lot of people who are loyal Macy’s shoppers,” Lytle said.
The 1990s would also mean the arrival of JCPenney. The national chain moved inside in 1994, replacing the United Artists movie theater.
The 2000s: In the 2000s, Arden Fair would contribute 8.8% of the city of Sacramento’s sales tax revenue, according to the Sacramento Business Journal. As a result, the city solidified a public-private partnership with the mall, meaning the two would manage, develop and finance Arden Fair together. After this agreement, Arden Fair underwent a $4 million renovation.
The 2010s: The mall attracted controversy in 2016 when brawls broke out there. The mall proposed a parental supervision rule, banning unaccompanied minors during peak holiday business hours. At one point, Sacramento police staffed 50 officers at or around the mall to prevent fights from occuring.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California called the move a violation of civil rights.
“California is very clear on this topic regardless of what other malls in other states are doing,” said Michael Riser, the senior staff attorney for ACLU Northern California in 2017. “You cannot discriminate against a large, identifiable group of people, whether it is because they are children, they’re a specific sex or even race. You need to treat Californians as individuals.”
In 2018, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg stepped in, temporarily banning unaccompanied children from the mall after two fights happened within three days. Both brawls included “large crowds of adolescents,” according to past Bee reporting.
In 2019, the mall would become a rallying spot after the killing of Stephon Clark. A handful of protesters participated in an overnight sit-in at the mall. The protest was prompted by the District Attorney’s decision to not charge Sacramento police officers with shooting and killing the unarmed Clark in his grandmother’s backyard.
The 2020s: The mall joined other businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. March 17, 2020, the mall closed as a result of the nationwide stay-at-home order.
It reopened in May, but during the shutdown, Nordstrom permanently closed after more than 30 years as a mall tenant.
Six months later, two people died as the result of a shooting on Black Friday. Sa’Quan Reed-James, a 17-year-old, and his brother, 19-year-old Dewayne James Jr. were killed, according to past Bee reporting. Eighteen-year-old Damario Laron Beck was arrested on murder charges.
As the mall moved into the mid-2020s, a variety of business openings, including Crunch Fitness, H&M, Pier 50 Sushi and Uniqlo arrived. In 2025, Arden Fair would also welcome the collectibles and home store Miniso and see the closure of Forever 21.
Arguably the most notable closure came in 2021 with the shutdown of Sears.
In 2025 the mall announced that Dick’s House of Sports would move into the old Sears location. The sports megastore is scheduled to open in spring 2027, Nathan Spradlin, the mall’s marketing manager told The Bee.
Prior to Dick’s World of Sport, the mall will welcome other retailers this year, including Fabletics, Taco Bell Cantina, Levi’s and True Religion. The stores are scheduled to open throughout the summer, Spradlin said.
This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 1:50 PM.
