By Mike Hazlip—
While Citrus Heights welcomed a dozen new restaurants along with other businesses in 2021, it also saw several departures during the same year.
Below are five businesses in Citrus Heights that closed or announced permanent closure during 2021.
Tea Republic
The popular boba tea shop first opened in a suite at 7777 Sunrise Blvd. in 2018, but began having erratic hours during the pandemic and later closed permanently in early 2021. The shop still operates another location in Rocklin.
Teriyaki Land
The restaurant operated out of a small, white building at the intersection of Rollingwood and Auburn Boulevard, but now sits empty with sunlight filtering through dusty windows into a starkly vacant interior. The restaurant closed in August of last year.
Starbucks
The abrupt closure of a Starbucks that shared space with Barnes and Noble in the Marketplace at Birdcage came as a shock to regulars in the marketplace. The location closed Oct. 3 with a note on the door as the only notice to the public. Starbucks later announced plans for a new drive-thru location several blocks away, at Sunrise Boulevard and Madison Avenue.
Related: These 7 new eateries have plans to open in Citrus Heights in 2022
Sunrise Mall Theater
Initially shut down in 2020 because of the pandemic, news was confirmed in 2021 that the Regal UA at Sunrise Mall would not be reopening. The closure has meant Citrus Heights is officially without a movie theater, with the nearest option being Century 16, located just outside the city limits at Greenback Lane and Interstate 80. Prior plans for a new theater on Auburn Boulevard fizzled last year after Studio Movie Grill backed out amid a bankruptcy filing.
Bebesitas
After opening in the Fall of 2021, a new boutique at Sunrise Mall offering women’s clothing and cosmetics has already closed. Owners of the shop previously told The Sentinel that total sales had been less than $300 on Black Friday, without any items sold several days following. A visit to the mall on Jan. 5 found the suite vacant, and an employee of a nearby business said Bebesitas had closed its doors.
Related: 21 businesses Citrus Heights welcomed in 2021
Additionally, The Pumpkin Farm on Old Auburn Road initially closed in 2020 due to the pandemic, with plans to open the following year. However, the site remained closed in 2021 and shows no signs of reopening. The farm’s main phone number goes to a voicemail that is full, its website loads only an error page, and the last post on the farm’s social media page is an announcement from September 2020.