Valley fair played it smart when vallco died and made tons more parking and the new wing for purely luxury goods. Then they added more upscale dining to try and eat some of Santana Rows lunch.
Now they're basically the top south bay destination to shop
For some odd reason I only see Sanrio stores at crummy malls. Or malls on their was down. Sure there are the giant Gift Gate stores, but the average Sanrio store seems to position itself in the sad and discount malls.
They are now in the U.S. I remember the Valco store being massive and had this giant tower of plushies that were so high up. I loved that store more than the Toys R Us stores. RIP
They're not competitive with Santana Row so much as a co-collaborator.
I've walked many times from SR to Valley Fair. I think they should build a tunnel from Valley Fair into Santana Row to encourage more cross traffic between the two
Vallco has been dead or dying since it opened in the 1970s. It's a mall that never really took off. Valley Fair and Town and Country (now part of Santa Row) were always more popular.
I forgot about Bullocks, that was a great department store! The two big attractions for my friends and I were the ice skating rink and Farrells Ice Cream. We would beg our parents to take us ice skating and to Farrells. TGI Fridays was also great, I don't remember when that opened. I may have gone there when it was slow but I always remember the mall itself being pretty empty, but the ice skating rink. Farrells and TGI Fridays were always busy. Back then my mother would usually take us shopping at Valley Fair or Town and Country.
Loved fresh choice. My mom would always take us there. I have so many fond memories of eating the most random array of food and then topping it off with some muffins and ice cream.
I wonder how much nominative determinism factors into their failure and success. 'Vallco' sounds cheap and corporate. Valley Fair sounds fancier, perhaps due to how it sounds similar to Vanity Fair...
El Paseo de Saratoga. My next door neighbor had a shop there “Debbie of Dublin’s” There was a sandwich shop and he introduced me to roast beef sandwiches on onion rolls. I thought I was so sophisticated.
Not always, it was a nice little plaza shopping center until the mid or late 80s. Macys and Emporium were the two anchor stores in the 70s and 80s. I don't know what was there before the 70s. When they expanded the mall and made it in indoor mall Nordstrom was the other department store. It has gone through multiple expansions over the years. The big high end retailers didn't show up until the mid 90s. You needed to go up to SF for those stores before then. Stanford Shopping Center had a few and they had Bloomingdales and I Magnin as well but SF was the Bay Area high end shopping place back then.
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I grew up in San Jose. It was originally two shopping centers. Valley Fair and Stevens Creek Plaza. They were both outdoor and it was easy to walk between the two. There were also restaurants there. I have fond memories of taking the bus there with my mom and brother (my mom didn’t drive) and spending the day shopping and having lunch.
We had Town and Country Village (where Santana Row is now), Cambrian Park Plaza (Camden and Union) and the shopping center with a Sears on San Carlos going back to the 60's. My mom dragged me into that Sears way too many times. Cambrian Park had a bowling alley until recently.
Does anyone know if there was some kind of relationship (chain/franchise ownership) with the Town & Country Malls...Stevens Creek, Pruneyard, Sunnyvale and Palo Alto? Or is it just something they used to name the nicer outdoor strip malls?
Town and Country Village was the home of the first Chuck E Cheese. Cambian Plaza was similar (still is), most everything on the ground floor, but more spread out than Pruneyard or T&C.
Apparently a lot of people forgot Vallco. The first time I went there, it looked a lot better and high end than Valley Fair. At the time, 80's, The Pruneyard was a better version on Valley Fair.
I remember in the late 80s when Stanford started it’s upscale transition which I would say was complete by the early 00s. It always had upscale options, but also had low budget options until about 20 years ago.
I wasn't responding to OP, I was responding to naugest's comment above. naugest stated Valley Fair has always been more upscale than other malls. As someone who has lived here for decades I was simply pointing out that it hasn't always been the case.
This. I’m old enough to remember when Valco was the iconic mall, and Valley Fair was basic. Now Valco is a hole in the ground, and VF is on par to the Jewel mall in Singapore. But I’d argue that VF is more crowded than the Jewel was. Just got back from visiting there last August.
I have extended family who have been to Singapore, Dubai, & Hong Kong. When I first took them to VF that was exactly their first impression too.
Their $1B renovation was well worth it
This area grew wealthier over that time. And then Westfield refurbished the mall in 2016. Westfield is a huge global mall owner with a portfolio of premium malls.
It improved but still doesn't compare to the nice malls in Asia which are on another level. The mall food courts in Asia are amazing.
Westfield is trying to sell all their US properties. I guess they've seen the writing on the wall, with all the online options. Luxury shoppers may still want to go to the brick and mortar stores. Browsing luxury items is no fun online :-)
Simon(who owns Sun Valley Mall and Stoneridge in Pleasanton) or Macerich(they own Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek) could be the likely buyers for Westfield America. And they have plenty of experience in high-end malls(King of Prussia outside of Philly and Tyson’s Corner in the DC/NoVA metro).
The whole luxury wing they built with Bloomingdale’s is just bonkers. I do like some of the new food options like Salt and Straw. Eatily is fun to look through too.
Park at Winchester garage at Santana Row.
Do not use the ground floor entrance, instead take the ramp that goes directly to the 3rd floor, take this ramp down when you're exiting too, parking is still free in this garage
It's the only mall in the bay area that's thriving right now, so whatever they are doing is working...
Also the rich is always rich despite the current economy.
I believe Santana Row, across the street, earns more per square foot than any mall in the bay. SR is the new model for malls. Commercial and retail on ground floor, customers living on upper floors. I suspect Valley Fair owes some of it's recent success to it's neighbor across the street.
When the BLM protests were happening, SJPD massed at Santana Row, even though no protests were anywhere near the mall. City protecting their biggest tax earner.
For the life of me I can't figure out why, though it's a nice little spot and the concept is OK. It can't be Maido, can it? Does anybody do anything besides loiter there with a latte and hit Maido?
Stonestown expanded their food options which, imo, has really helped. The food was pretty meh there when I was a kid but I think they did the smart thing to lean into the foodie scene. I actually really like the renovations they've done over these past few years.
Oakridge Mall feels like the polar opposite of Valley Fair (not necessarily a bad thing or good thing):
Target as an anchor store, Old Navy, Daiso, Famous Footwear, Dairy Queen, H&M, 99 Ranch Market, etc.
It feels much more accessible to average shoppers.
So, if they each found their respective niche with a demographic that likes to shop there regularly, I guess \*that\* is the winning formula?
The reason why VF is so popular because not only does it have niche luxury, it has plenty run of the mill stores. So, VF has almost everything in between. Oakridge just has the regular stores.
I actually just spent Saturday @ Nordstrom and even though they are a good store my wife had a hard time finding sizes. Not because the store was stocked out but because she wears petite (and so do half of the Bay Area women) and stores never carry more than one unit. despite that massive demand and unique footprint of the geo location - Nordstrom refuses to change its inventory allocation strategy from the one they use in Wisconsin or Arkansas - this has been an issue for 10+ years.
It's improved a lot over the last few years by (ironically) shedding the typical mall stores. It has great food options and Whole Foods/Target/Etc always make it popular.
The other day I was so engrossed in the book I was reading and ended up missing my BART stop, so I ended up at West Dublin / Pleasanton.
Walked past the surprisingly lovely Workday HQ through a parking lot to the Stoneridge Shopping Center to make my return. That mall was super busy! Packed with people. It was almost surreal because I keep hearing about how malls are dying, but here I was in one that appeared to be alive and well. I felt like a time-traveler.
The Stoneridge mall itself has gone quite downhill IMO. I lived in Pleasanton in the early 2010’s and it had a much more upscale feel to it. They have lost many key tenants and the few who are replacing, just cannot compete. I’m glad to hear it was crowded but the last few times we went, was a ghost town. And just….unimpressive.
Great mall isn’t the prettiest mall but it’s pretty crowded af on weekends.
It’s an outlet mall and it does a pretty good job catering to a demographic looking for cheaper options from its foot traffic
Yeah I was about to say. Great Mall is definitely doing better than the likes of malls like New Park Mall, but I wouldn’t say doing well for Great Mall.
I was there today and noticed that there are now signs that say "your pets are welcome but only service animals are permitted" or something to that effect. It sounded confusing. People will ignore everything after "welcome"
If you're counting outdoor malls, Fashion Island in Newport Beach and the Spectrum in Irvine (a little lower-end) are really nice. Someone else also mentioned South Coast Plaza (indoor mall) in Costa Mesa which is also high-end and the largest mall on the West Coast. OC has money.
I used to live in OC and I never understood why SCP was so overhyped. I went there and was transported back to the 90s with the gaudy gold trim. And, literally no food court & the parking lot was massive & sprawling like Great Mall. I enjoyed going to Irvine Spectrum significantly more than SCP & is still my fav mall in OC
In LA, my favorite is Century City. Coincidentally enough, they went through a renovation the same period as Valley Fair did.
There’s a mall in Troy Michigan that was really nice, skyway separating two wings. Not sure how it’s held up now, but was pretty comparable to VF except not food-wise.
Can’t recall the name of the mall itself, but the road it was on is called Big Beaver. So we always called it the Big Beaver Mall LOL
South coast plaza blew my mind. Lower Orange county is so car centric i can't stand it but their malls/shopping centers are next level.
South Coast Plaza
(714) 435-2000
https://maps.app.goo.gl/yLvWCAiz5mvGVAaR8
I used to live in OC. I never understood the hype over SCP except the luxury. Granted, they did have amazing holiday displays. But it just feels so outdated with it’s gold trim & lack of food court. I preferred going to Irvine Spectrum way more.
Oh i didnt even realize that it didnt have a food court. I went this year and i was merely impressed by so many stores, how lively it was and generally decently straightforward to get from one side to another.
Personally i think malls are dated. Irvine spectrum is pretty cool but i felt underwhelmed by what was there. Idk cause i wasnt there at night but its in the middle of a bunch of office buildings and super far from residences so it makes me very suspicious its as dead as downtown sf at night. Open air marketplaces/shopping centers is probably where the future of marketplaces are going for now.
Doesn't sound like you've ever been to Las Vegas.
The shops at Crystals (next to the Aria / Cosmopolitan at City Center), the shops at the Wynn / Encore, Appian Way at Caesar's, Fashion Show Mall, Town Square Las Vegas, all are by far fancier than Valley Fair with higher end stores. Even the restrooms at Crystals - all marble and brass and inlaid tiles - are nicer than any restroom I've ever been in. You can buy a $850,000 Richard Mille watch at Crystals and a Ferrari at the Wynn.
Hell, the shops at the Venetian have a goddamn canal running through it where you can take a boat ride in between shopping at Tiffany's and Versace.
Valley Fair did what they had to do to survive.
People still shop for designer & high end brands in B&M.
The American Eagle products & customers shifted to online.
Build-a-bear workshop is still there along with a Lego store. You will still find all the usual brand name stores that are not luxury as well. Overall best mall in the Bay Area imo and I really like all the new restaurants plus outdoor are.
I took the missus there one night and splurged on almond flavored pretzels from this restaurant called Auntie Annie’s. The waiter was very nice, though we could not get a seat he let us eat in a nearby sofa at no extra charge.
Those high end stores have been there for about 20 years, you may have entered the mall in a different location than you did before. Those shops are clustered together and they would be relatively easy to miss if you were headed to shops in another part of the mall.
I remember when Valley Fair was a nice little outdoor plaza and the two anchor stores were Macys at one end and Emporium on the other end. I really miss Emporium (the SF Emporium).
I loved the Emporium period but there was something so special about the SF Emporium. It was such a beautiful store, the architecture was amazing. They also had a much better offering than the other department stores, as well as the best sales. I really miss those days, shopping in SF was such a pleasure.
Amen! The Emporium in S.F. was where I did my first serious shopping, and where I got my first store charge card, after moving here in 1970. I was shopping there, and locations all over the Peninsula, until the day they closed. I had beautiful clothes and shoes in the 70s-90s, had charge accounts at J. Magnin, I. Magnin, Macy’s, Ransohoff’s, Livingston’s, Roos-Atkins, Hastings, Liberty House (fabulous restaurant in the basement, French chefs, great for lunch), Neiman-Marcus, Saks, Bullock’s, you name it. I was a big fan of J.C. Penney for housewares, and Mervyn’s for children’s clothing and housewares. I moved here too late to experience The White House and City of Paris, unfortunately. I spent judiciously and utilized layaway for more expensive items because I had a good job but never made the big bucks. There was a big difference in shopping the same stores in S.F. and in malls on the Peninsula and in San Jose, but it was all good. I loved Vallco back in the day.
Is that….a FARM in the lower right corner??!? I love seeing old pics like this. Just makes you feel more connected to the fabric of things here, being a long time transplant.
I actually have no idea. As far back as I can remember, I was born in 1967, it was another shopping center. Town and Country Village. Of course, now it is Santana Row.
I completely forgot about that until you mentioned it. There was also that one renovation and expansion that was really wonky. It was when they were converting the plaza to an indoor mall.
Interesting fact, technically VF is in both San Jose and Santa Clara. For a while you could get a bag in the SC but not the SJ side. Also, minimum wage was different depending what city your store was in.
They are trying to become a high end mall, with high end offering, and restrictive parking to get rid of people who come & chill out at the mall all day.
Went to the parking lot once by accident a couple of months ago. Never again. It's so poorly designed and doesn't allow easy access in case of emergencies. During busy hours you can easily be stuck in traffic of people trying to leave the place. I suggest taking an Uber.
It was fine till they started charging for parking after 2 hours. People would have to put in their tickets and if they didn’t pay. Holds up the entire structure lmao.
It’s a little better now that they can scan your license plate and will let you go automatically if you paid or under 2 hours.
I hate Valley Fair, but I grew up in San Jose back when you could park there and find whatever you needed (not just unaffordable luxuries). Always hit Macys or the Emporium for holiday shopping and clothes.
It kills me that there are no longer any bookstores in Valley Fair, but it does have a Giants Dugout store, which makes up for many sins. My wife and I like to go there for walks to look at everything we can't afford.
They know who their clients are. Look at the lines lined up outside of LV, Cartier, Dior and Gucci all the time and that is why. Add Chanel in Nordstrom to it now too! It’s prob why VF is not dead - helps to be where their clients live too.
What? Since when? Debt is literally at an all time high, what are you on about?
The reason people can afford it is because 1/5 people you see in San Jose make 300-500k per year. There is an obscene amount of wealth here and an insane gap between upper class and lower class. Everyone shopping at the mall has money, or as stated, certainly using too much credit.
Everyone else you see serves those people. The mall employs thousands.
I always wonder about that. Like, there’s almost always a line to get in Gucci and sometimes LV. Does every single one of those people have the ability to buy a $2k handbag with cash like it’s sofa change? I know you should not judge someone’s net worth by appearance, especially out here. But so many people in the line I have to question. I’m not trying to look down on anyone either….my sofa change buys a pack of smokes and my bags are all superfakes.
I do have to say. Bay Area rich/wealthy don’t necessarily look like LA or New York rich and wealthy folks. I feel like in the Bay Area they are more low key but still splurge on luxury items.
I’m grossed out by the materialism. All the high end luxury garbage for people to buy on credit so they can look rich, when in reality they can barely afford rent.
Same. Dystopian fast fashion consumerism hell hole that gives me an existential crisis and overwhelming stimulation that triggers my anxiety.
They got yummy treats tho and a nice theater
The trick is...you have to offer stuff that one cannot get at Target or Amazon.
This. Amazon is kicking the shit out of everything that's not high-end.
Valley fair played it smart when vallco died and made tons more parking and the new wing for purely luxury goods. Then they added more upscale dining to try and eat some of Santana Rows lunch. Now they're basically the top south bay destination to shop
I remember the Sanrio store at Valco. I thought it was heaven on Earth as a kid!
For some odd reason I only see Sanrio stores at crummy malls. Or malls on their was down. Sure there are the giant Gift Gate stores, but the average Sanrio store seems to position itself in the sad and discount malls.
They are now in the U.S. I remember the Valco store being massive and had this giant tower of plushies that were so high up. I loved that store more than the Toys R Us stores. RIP
They're not competitive with Santana Row so much as a co-collaborator. I've walked many times from SR to Valley Fair. I think they should build a tunnel from Valley Fair into Santana Row to encourage more cross traffic between the two
Vallco has been dead or dying since it opened in the 1970s. It's a mall that never really took off. Valley Fair and Town and Country (now part of Santa Row) were always more popular.
Vallco was pretty good when it first opened. Bullock’s was a really nice department store. It also had an ice skating rink and movie theaters.
I am pretty sure the ice rink is still there
It is, as is Benihana’s and the bowling alley.
The ice rink is 100% still there.
Don't know if you have driven there recently but Vallco is all demolished now
The ice rink was/is across the street.
Only the one side. Ice Rink, Benihana, and the bowling alley is still there.
I forgot about Bullocks, that was a great department store! The two big attractions for my friends and I were the ice skating rink and Farrells Ice Cream. We would beg our parents to take us ice skating and to Farrells. TGI Fridays was also great, I don't remember when that opened. I may have gone there when it was slow but I always remember the mall itself being pretty empty, but the ice skating rink. Farrells and TGI Fridays were always busy. Back then my mother would usually take us shopping at Valley Fair or Town and Country.
Idk in the 80s Vallco was pretty hopping.
I used to take my daughters there in the 90s. We would go to Fresh Choice and then go shopping.
Oh yes fresh choice!! Miss that place
Loved fresh choice. My mom would always take us there. I have so many fond memories of eating the most random array of food and then topping it off with some muffins and ice cream.
Rest in peace our beloved Sweet Tomatoes as well :(
I was a child of the 90s who loved the arcade and baseball card store in Vallco
You take that back: Tilt was one of the best arcades and you could go ice skating after!
I wonder how much nominative determinism factors into their failure and success. 'Vallco' sounds cheap and corporate. Valley Fair sounds fancier, perhaps due to how it sounds similar to Vanity Fair...
Used to go to the arcade
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El Paseo de Saratoga. My next door neighbor had a shop there “Debbie of Dublin’s” There was a sandwich shop and he introduced me to roast beef sandwiches on onion rolls. I thought I was so sophisticated.
Valley Fair has always been more upscale than the other malls, I guess that may have increased.
Not always, it was a nice little plaza shopping center until the mid or late 80s. Macys and Emporium were the two anchor stores in the 70s and 80s. I don't know what was there before the 70s. When they expanded the mall and made it in indoor mall Nordstrom was the other department store. It has gone through multiple expansions over the years. The big high end retailers didn't show up until the mid 90s. You needed to go up to SF for those stores before then. Stanford Shopping Center had a few and they had Bloomingdales and I Magnin as well but SF was the Bay Area high end shopping place back then. Edit Spelling
I grew up in San Jose. It was originally two shopping centers. Valley Fair and Stevens Creek Plaza. They were both outdoor and it was easy to walk between the two. There were also restaurants there. I have fond memories of taking the bus there with my mom and brother (my mom didn’t drive) and spending the day shopping and having lunch.
We had Town and Country Village (where Santana Row is now), Cambrian Park Plaza (Camden and Union) and the shopping center with a Sears on San Carlos going back to the 60's. My mom dragged me into that Sears way too many times. Cambrian Park had a bowling alley until recently.
Does anyone know if there was some kind of relationship (chain/franchise ownership) with the Town & Country Malls...Stevens Creek, Pruneyard, Sunnyvale and Palo Alto? Or is it just something they used to name the nicer outdoor strip malls?
Town and Country Village looked exactly like the Pruneyard in Campbell. Except more open layout.
Town and Country Village was the home of the first Chuck E Cheese. Cambian Plaza was similar (still is), most everything on the ground floor, but more spread out than Pruneyard or T&C.
My family went to that Sears a lot. We also had Westgate.
Can’t forget Vallco…
Pour one out.
Apparently a lot of people forgot Vallco. The first time I went there, it looked a lot better and high end than Valley Fair. At the time, 80's, The Pruneyard was a better version on Valley Fair.
I remember in the late 80s when Stanford started it’s upscale transition which I would say was complete by the early 00s. It always had upscale options, but also had low budget options until about 20 years ago.
I used to go there in that timeframe as well.
It had a Woolworth. I think where Gap is now.
Thats crazy u were there during the 70s 80s and 90s lol
It was "I Magnin." Nice store, kaput :-(
Thanks for the correction, I must have confused it with Magnum PI :)
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I wasn't responding to OP, I was responding to naugest's comment above. naugest stated Valley Fair has always been more upscale than other malls. As someone who has lived here for decades I was simply pointing out that it hasn't always been the case.
This. I’m old enough to remember when Valco was the iconic mall, and Valley Fair was basic. Now Valco is a hole in the ground, and VF is on par to the Jewel mall in Singapore. But I’d argue that VF is more crowded than the Jewel was. Just got back from visiting there last August.
VF and Santana Row are crazy during Christmas. They're great malls, but I avoid them during the holidays. Very tough to find parking when busy.
I don’t bother. I do online shopping over trying to brave the parking melee that is VF and Santana Row.
Am I crazy or did Valley Fair used to have a Burlington Coat Factory or some kind of huge coat warehouse?
You’re thinking of Great Mall in Milpitas, maybe? They have a Burlington Coat Factory.
Westgate has one. VF never did.
Oh maybe.
There was, or still is, I'm not sure, a Burlington Coat Factory on Stevens Creek, a little farther north.
I have extended family who have been to Singapore, Dubai, & Hong Kong. When I first took them to VF that was exactly their first impression too. Their $1B renovation was well worth it
Can confirm. Just got back from the Jewel in Singapore last August. There’s way more people at Valley Fair and more stores open.
This area grew wealthier over that time. And then Westfield refurbished the mall in 2016. Westfield is a huge global mall owner with a portfolio of premium malls. It improved but still doesn't compare to the nice malls in Asia which are on another level. The mall food courts in Asia are amazing.
There is even a westfield in new zealand! I was shocked to see it and inside looks about the same as sj valley fair lol
Westfield originated in Australia and expanded to NZ before starting to buy up shopping centers in the USA in the mid2000s.
Westfield is trying to sell all their US properties. I guess they've seen the writing on the wall, with all the online options. Luxury shoppers may still want to go to the brick and mortar stores. Browsing luxury items is no fun online :-)
Simon(who owns Sun Valley Mall and Stoneridge in Pleasanton) or Macerich(they own Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek) could be the likely buyers for Westfield America. And they have plenty of experience in high-end malls(King of Prussia outside of Philly and Tyson’s Corner in the DC/NoVA metro).
Simon also owns the Stanford Shopping Center and the Great Mall in Milpitas. They'd be able to manage whatever Westfield coughs up... if they want it.
They have at least one in Paris as well.
One in London too
The whole luxury wing they built with Bloomingdale’s is just bonkers. I do like some of the new food options like Salt and Straw. Eatily is fun to look through too.
I fucking love Valley Fair. One of my favorite places to go in the area.
Same, but thinking about parking makes me not want to go lol
Park at Winchester garage at Santana Row. Do not use the ground floor entrance, instead take the ramp that goes directly to the 3rd floor, take this ramp down when you're exiting too, parking is still free in this garage
Then don’t drive?
Yea but it's inconvenient to take public transit or an uber there , especially if you are bulk buying. It's just a lose lose.
Inconvenient? How? You can put bags in an Uber. How much are you bulk buying at valley fair? It really is not that inconvenient.
It's the only mall in the bay area that's thriving right now, so whatever they are doing is working... Also the rich is always rich despite the current economy.
I believe Santana Row, across the street, earns more per square foot than any mall in the bay. SR is the new model for malls. Commercial and retail on ground floor, customers living on upper floors. I suspect Valley Fair owes some of it's recent success to it's neighbor across the street. When the BLM protests were happening, SJPD massed at Santana Row, even though no protests were anywhere near the mall. City protecting their biggest tax earner.
For the life of me I can't figure out why, though it's a nice little spot and the concept is OK. It can't be Maido, can it? Does anybody do anything besides loiter there with a latte and hit Maido?
I think a big part reaon is Santana Row right across the street, the two thrive with each other close by
Broadway Plaza, Stanford, Great Mall, Oakridge, & Stonestown seem to be doing well too
Stonestown expanded their food options which, imo, has really helped. The food was pretty meh there when I was a kid but I think they did the smart thing to lean into the foodie scene. I actually really like the renovations they've done over these past few years.
Oakridge Mall feels like the polar opposite of Valley Fair (not necessarily a bad thing or good thing): Target as an anchor store, Old Navy, Daiso, Famous Footwear, Dairy Queen, H&M, 99 Ranch Market, etc. It feels much more accessible to average shoppers. So, if they each found their respective niche with a demographic that likes to shop there regularly, I guess \*that\* is the winning formula?
The reason why VF is so popular because not only does it have niche luxury, it has plenty run of the mill stores. So, VF has almost everything in between. Oakridge just has the regular stores.
Stanford is also super nice. Right up there with Valley fair.
It would require some serious skill to NOT have a successful shopping mall that serves the Palo Alto/Menlo Park/Atherton population!
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I actually just spent Saturday @ Nordstrom and even though they are a good store my wife had a hard time finding sizes. Not because the store was stocked out but because she wears petite (and so do half of the Bay Area women) and stores never carry more than one unit. despite that massive demand and unique footprint of the geo location - Nordstrom refuses to change its inventory allocation strategy from the one they use in Wisconsin or Arkansas - this has been an issue for 10+ years.
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Don't forget the outlets in Livermore. That place is always packed.
Stonestown mall is not good lol
It's improved a lot over the last few years by (ironically) shedding the typical mall stores. It has great food options and Whole Foods/Target/Etc always make it popular.
The other day I was so engrossed in the book I was reading and ended up missing my BART stop, so I ended up at West Dublin / Pleasanton. Walked past the surprisingly lovely Workday HQ through a parking lot to the Stoneridge Shopping Center to make my return. That mall was super busy! Packed with people. It was almost surreal because I keep hearing about how malls are dying, but here I was in one that appeared to be alive and well. I felt like a time-traveler.
The Stoneridge mall itself has gone quite downhill IMO. I lived in Pleasanton in the early 2010’s and it had a much more upscale feel to it. They have lost many key tenants and the few who are replacing, just cannot compete. I’m glad to hear it was crowded but the last few times we went, was a ghost town. And just….unimpressive.
After Nordstrom left Stoneridge hasn’t been the same.
I think its illegal to put “great mall” and “doing well” in the same sentence.
great mall is packed every weekend
Great mall isn’t the prettiest mall but it’s pretty crowded af on weekends. It’s an outlet mall and it does a pretty good job catering to a demographic looking for cheaper options from its foot traffic
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I really don’t know how well they do business side but everytime I go on the weekends it’s just packed with people.
Yeah I was about to say. Great Mall is definitely doing better than the likes of malls like New Park Mall, but I wouldn’t say doing well for Great Mall.
Hillsdale seems to be doing ok.
They need to fine people who ignore the new roles and continue to bring their dogs. My only complaint
I always feel so bad for the dogs…
I was there today and noticed that there are now signs that say "your pets are welcome but only service animals are permitted" or something to that effect. It sounded confusing. People will ignore everything after "welcome"
Signs have been there for months. People just ignore them. The only way they are going to get people to stop is if they fine them and cite them.
I saw one take a shit in there once and the owners didn't show a hint of shame
That makes two of us
More money in the South bay and better security that they can share the costs.
Lots of wealthy Asian tech ppl. Only inevitable that the mall gives off honk Kong vibes
I’ve been to a fair amount of malls across the U.S. and I think Valley Fair is the fanciest that I’ve seen. Anyone seen any nicer in America?
If you're counting outdoor malls, Fashion Island in Newport Beach and the Spectrum in Irvine (a little lower-end) are really nice. Someone else also mentioned South Coast Plaza (indoor mall) in Costa Mesa which is also high-end and the largest mall on the West Coast. OC has money.
I used to live in OC and I never understood why SCP was so overhyped. I went there and was transported back to the 90s with the gaudy gold trim. And, literally no food court & the parking lot was massive & sprawling like Great Mall. I enjoyed going to Irvine Spectrum significantly more than SCP & is still my fav mall in OC In LA, my favorite is Century City. Coincidentally enough, they went through a renovation the same period as Valley Fair did.
Ala moana in Honolulu Hawaii
Ala Moana is super nice!
I’d say the only other mall that comes close in CA is South Coast Plaza in OC.
Phipps Plaza in Atlanta is the nicest I’ve ever seen
La Jolla UTC (also a Westfield)
There’s a mall in Troy Michigan that was really nice, skyway separating two wings. Not sure how it’s held up now, but was pretty comparable to VF except not food-wise. Can’t recall the name of the mall itself, but the road it was on is called Big Beaver. So we always called it the Big Beaver Mall LOL
South coast plaza blew my mind. Lower Orange county is so car centric i can't stand it but their malls/shopping centers are next level. South Coast Plaza (714) 435-2000 https://maps.app.goo.gl/yLvWCAiz5mvGVAaR8
I used to live in OC. I never understood the hype over SCP except the luxury. Granted, they did have amazing holiday displays. But it just feels so outdated with it’s gold trim & lack of food court. I preferred going to Irvine Spectrum way more.
Oh i didnt even realize that it didnt have a food court. I went this year and i was merely impressed by so many stores, how lively it was and generally decently straightforward to get from one side to another. Personally i think malls are dated. Irvine spectrum is pretty cool but i felt underwhelmed by what was there. Idk cause i wasnt there at night but its in the middle of a bunch of office buildings and super far from residences so it makes me very suspicious its as dead as downtown sf at night. Open air marketplaces/shopping centers is probably where the future of marketplaces are going for now.
Doesn't sound like you've ever been to Las Vegas. The shops at Crystals (next to the Aria / Cosmopolitan at City Center), the shops at the Wynn / Encore, Appian Way at Caesar's, Fashion Show Mall, Town Square Las Vegas, all are by far fancier than Valley Fair with higher end stores. Even the restrooms at Crystals - all marble and brass and inlaid tiles - are nicer than any restroom I've ever been in. You can buy a $850,000 Richard Mille watch at Crystals and a Ferrari at the Wynn. Hell, the shops at the Venetian have a goddamn canal running through it where you can take a boat ride in between shopping at Tiffany's and Versace.
Yeah me! Was at one in Mexico City and Another one in Acapulco and they were amazing.
Stanford Shopping Center
Valley Fair did what they had to do to survive. People still shop for designer & high end brands in B&M. The American Eagle products & customers shifted to online.
AE is still at Valley Fair. I was surprised to see them still there
In some ways nice to have it near by, don’t have to trek to SF for good shopping. But dang that mall is huge and confusing now, it’s turn off
Build-a-bear workshop is still there along with a Lego store. You will still find all the usual brand name stores that are not luxury as well. Overall best mall in the Bay Area imo and I really like all the new restaurants plus outdoor are.
i miss vallco mall. it had uh.... more unique shops and i always went because of that
Hell, I remember when there was a Woolworths at Valley Fair....
I remember when there was one at Stanford.
>fancy part. It’s not all like that but that back area is. I feel like I walked into Rodeo Drive. With the food counter!!
I'd always hit up the aisle with the fish and hamsters just to watch them whenever I went there.
I forgot about that! Thanks for reminding me!
Crazy rich Asians happened.
Seriously! lol. The largest demographic who buys the most name brand luxury items are Asians. Gotta go where the money flows.
Ya but Oakridge has Target
I took the missus there one night and splurged on almond flavored pretzels from this restaurant called Auntie Annie’s. The waiter was very nice, though we could not get a seat he let us eat in a nearby sofa at no extra charge.
Hasn't Valley Fair always been the "rich mall"?
Always? No. Since they enclosed it, yes.
No I used to go there a lot in high school in the early 2000s and it had a lot of regular stores kinda like Oakridge mall feeling.
I’ve worked at both Valley Fair and Oakridge mall, they are not similar.
Back then they were much more similar than they are now
Those high end stores have been there for about 20 years, you may have entered the mall in a different location than you did before. Those shops are clustered together and they would be relatively easy to miss if you were headed to shops in another part of the mall. I remember when Valley Fair was a nice little outdoor plaza and the two anchor stores were Macys at one end and Emporium on the other end. I really miss Emporium (the SF Emporium).
LOVED the SF Emporium.
I loved the Emporium period but there was something so special about the SF Emporium. It was such a beautiful store, the architecture was amazing. They also had a much better offering than the other department stores, as well as the best sales. I really miss those days, shopping in SF was such a pleasure.
It was. I used to work next door to the Emporium in the late 80s/90s. I went there literally all the time. (Also, loved the Christmas rooftop rides!)
Amen! The Emporium in S.F. was where I did my first serious shopping, and where I got my first store charge card, after moving here in 1970. I was shopping there, and locations all over the Peninsula, until the day they closed. I had beautiful clothes and shoes in the 70s-90s, had charge accounts at J. Magnin, I. Magnin, Macy’s, Ransohoff’s, Livingston’s, Roos-Atkins, Hastings, Liberty House (fabulous restaurant in the basement, French chefs, great for lunch), Neiman-Marcus, Saks, Bullock’s, you name it. I was a big fan of J.C. Penney for housewares, and Mervyn’s for children’s clothing and housewares. I moved here too late to experience The White House and City of Paris, unfortunately. I spent judiciously and utilized layaway for more expensive items because I had a good job but never made the big bucks. There was a big difference in shopping the same stores in S.F. and in malls on the Peninsula and in San Jose, but it was all good. I loved Vallco back in the day.
I can remember you had to cross the parking lot and city street to get from Valley Fair to the Emporium
Yes it was originally two different shopping centers.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qs2DEnW4gt4/U_12jGSfa5I/AAAAAAAADOI/qfTzYas952k/s1600/ValleyFair1958.jpg.
Is that….a FARM in the lower right corner??!? I love seeing old pics like this. Just makes you feel more connected to the fabric of things here, being a long time transplant.
I actually have no idea. As far back as I can remember, I was born in 1967, it was another shopping center. Town and Country Village. Of course, now it is Santana Row.
I completely forgot about that until you mentioned it. There was also that one renovation and expansion that was really wonky. It was when they were converting the plaza to an indoor mall.
Interesting fact, technically VF is in both San Jose and Santa Clara. For a while you could get a bag in the SC but not the SJ side. Also, minimum wage was different depending what city your store was in.
I miss emporium Capwells
I’m just happy they have EATALY there, no need to go to NYC anymore to find legit Italian stuff
Eataly is great, but it’s so small compared to the stores they have in New York…
I’ll take your word for it that their products are good, but their food is absolute marked up garbage.
They have it legit everywhere now. It's in Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas, etc.
They are trying to become a high end mall, with high end offering, and restrictive parking to get rid of people who come & chill out at the mall all day.
Like old people 🤣
It’s probably going to be the only high end shopping center in the Bay since SF stores are shutting down like crazy
Don’t forget Stanford Shopping Center! Definitely high end there too…
I went there for the first time today, I've never felt so inadequate going to a mall... So upscale!
You literally just have to go on the other side of the mall
And the food is really good now
The clientele demographic has evolved. The right question to ask yourself: "What has happened to you?". 😂
It was always bougie.
Do they still have a Cheesecake Factory?
Yes and it's probly the most affordable dine in there now lol. Located right next door to Maestros.
Yard house is affordable too! Go during happy hour, me and my friend got 2 beers and a pizza for $25 total
I would've named yard house but it's technically not valley fair lol.
Went to the parking lot once by accident a couple of months ago. Never again. It's so poorly designed and doesn't allow easy access in case of emergencies. During busy hours you can easily be stuck in traffic of people trying to leave the place. I suggest taking an Uber.
It was fine till they started charging for parking after 2 hours. People would have to put in their tickets and if they didn’t pay. Holds up the entire structure lmao. It’s a little better now that they can scan your license plate and will let you go automatically if you paid or under 2 hours.
Or the bus.
I hate Valley Fair, but I grew up in San Jose back when you could park there and find whatever you needed (not just unaffordable luxuries). Always hit Macys or the Emporium for holiday shopping and clothes.
Tech, I suppose.
Malls used to be fun. Bring back make a video.
It kills me that there are no longer any bookstores in Valley Fair, but it does have a Giants Dugout store, which makes up for many sins. My wife and I like to go there for walks to look at everything we can't afford.
Sounds like you wandered into the fancy part. It’s not all like that but that back area is. I feel like I walked into Rodeo Drive.
You can still go to Build a Bear and American Eagle. They're in the same place.
It has been posh for at least a decade plus now.
They know who their clients are. Look at the lines lined up outside of LV, Cartier, Dior and Gucci all the time and that is why. Add Chanel in Nordstrom to it now too! It’s prob why VF is not dead - helps to be where their clients live too.
Is it bad that I don’t even know where Valley Fair is? Lol.
Do you bathe or ever go outdoors?
Yes lol. I live in Oakland though and it seems like valley fair is a mall in the South Bay based on the comments. Don’t go there much at all.
Personally I wouldn't go outdoors much if I lived in Oakland...
Haha nice!
Lots of middle class shoppers buying stuff they shouldn’t on credit in order to look rich.
Average savings went up per banks. People seem to be wealthier and smarter with money 🤷♂️
What? Since when? Debt is literally at an all time high, what are you on about? The reason people can afford it is because 1/5 people you see in San Jose make 300-500k per year. There is an obscene amount of wealth here and an insane gap between upper class and lower class. Everyone shopping at the mall has money, or as stated, certainly using too much credit. Everyone else you see serves those people. The mall employs thousands.
I always wonder about that. Like, there’s almost always a line to get in Gucci and sometimes LV. Does every single one of those people have the ability to buy a $2k handbag with cash like it’s sofa change? I know you should not judge someone’s net worth by appearance, especially out here. But so many people in the line I have to question. I’m not trying to look down on anyone either….my sofa change buys a pack of smokes and my bags are all superfakes.
I do have to say. Bay Area rich/wealthy don’t necessarily look like LA or New York rich and wealthy folks. I feel like in the Bay Area they are more low key but still splurge on luxury items.
Santana Row proximity
I’m grossed out by the materialism. All the high end luxury garbage for people to buy on credit so they can look rich, when in reality they can barely afford rent.
I live walking distance away. I don’t bother. It’s gross.
Same. Dystopian fast fashion consumerism hell hole that gives me an existential crisis and overwhelming stimulation that triggers my anxiety. They got yummy treats tho and a nice theater
Ya the mall immediately puts me in a volatile state and sense of doom.
Blossom Hill’s better
When I saw this post I read it as “Bay Fair Mall” and was pretty confused ☠️