Fashion Fair facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Fashion Fair

Fashion Fair Mall sign
Location	Fresno, California, United States
Coordinates	36°48′22″N 119°46′34″W / 36.806°N 119.776°W / 36.806; -119.776
Address	645 E. Shaw Avenue
Opening date	1970
Owner	The Macerich Company
No. of stores and services	130+
No. of anchor tenants	4
Total retail floor area	963,000 sq ft (89,500 m2)
No. of floors	1 (2 in JCPenney, 3 in Forever 21 and Macy's)
Parking	parking lot, valet

Fashion Fair is a medium-sized, enclosed shopping mall in Fresno, California, anchored by two Macy's stores, JCPenney, and Forever 21. Originally opened in 1970, Fashion Fair was expanded in 1983 (to accommodate Macy's and a new food court) and in 2005 (with the addition of an outdoor lifestyle wing). It competes with The Shops at River Park and Fig Garden Village, two outdoor shopping centers in the city of Fresno.

History

The 500,000 sq ft (46,000 m²) mall was built in 1970 by the MacDonald Group and was sold in 1987. The mall originally opened with Gottschalks, J. C. Penney, and Weinstock's; Macy's joined the roster in 1983.

In 1996, Weinstock's parent company, Broadway Department Stores, merged with its competitor, Federated Department Stores. While most of Broadway's stores were converted to the Macy's nameplate, Weinstock's stores in Fresno and Modesto were traded to Gottschalks. This allowed Gottschalks to take over the larger Weinstock's buildings, while Macy's converted the original Gottschalks stores into separate Macy's Men's & Home stores. Gottschalks filed for bankruptcy in 2009 and sold its lease to Forever 21.

After an extensive remodel, Forever 21 opened on April 1, 2011; this was the largest Forever 21 built in the United States at 164,052 square feet. Approximately one year after opening, the store downsized and took the third level out of service. In Spring 2019 amid company restructuring, the store downsized again leaving only the first floor in use. The 2nd level partially reopened on August 30, 2019, however, was re-closed by October 24, 2019 leaving only the first floor in use. Forever 21 filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy on September 29, 2019. On October 1, 2019, this location was placed on the initial list of stores set to close by the end of the year. By October 31, 2019, the store was removed from the list of locations to close.

In 2005, construction on a 94,000 square-foot expansion commenced. Dubbed The Village at Fashion Fair, the open-air wing features upscale retailers including Charming Charlie, Lucky Brand Jeans, LUSH Cosmetics, Michael Kors, and Sephora; alongside The Cheesecake Factory and a Fleming's steakhouse.

The Village has experienced significant turnover since it opened, with major retailers Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Z Gallerie (among others) exiting the property after less than 10 years in business. The former Urban Outfitters was replaced with an Ulta Beauty store in 2018, which was joined by Fresno's second H&M store later in the year. Charming Charlie, which originally replaced Z Gallerie, closed in 2019, and was replaced with a Five Below which opened September 27, 2019.

Anchor stores

Former anchors

• Weinstock's (Opened 1970, closed 1996 due to Broadway-Federated merger)
• Gottschalks (Opened 1970, moved to former Weinstock's in 1996, closed 2009 due to company liquidation)
• Love Culture (Opened 2012 in former Forever 21 space, closed 2018, replaced by H&M)