What’s still open at Sunrise Mall?

By Sara Beth Williams–
Despite several recent store closures or relocations, over 20 businesses remain open at Sunrise Mall amid the city’s effort to attract developers to transform the aging mall into a 21st Century Main Street concept.

A directory map on the Sunrise Mall’s website that still shows multiple stores which have since become vacant prompted a visit by Sentinel staff last week to confirm what businesses remain open.

National chain stores still observed to be operating at Sunrise Mall include anchor stores JCPenney and Macy’s, along with Hallmark, Famous Footwear, Shoe Palace, Spencer’s, T-Mobile, Torrid, Hot Topic, Claire’s and Lids. Other operating tenants include Breakout, California Basics, Royal Stage Theater, and four jewelry stores: Kay’s Jewelers, Ron’s Jewelers, Sam’s Jewelers, and Infinity Jewelers.

The food court is only open to a coffee cart, as The Sentinel recently confirmed the closure of Naija Cuisine. Other food court tenants have also vacated recently, including Taco Bell and PretzelMaker. Naija Cuisine opened at the Sunrise Mall in 2022. No reason was given for the restaurant’s closure and Sentinel staff were not able to contact the restaurant owner.

Related: Naija Cuisine brings tastes of West Africa to Sunrise Mall

Other stores include a furniture store and a men’s fashion store. A perfume shop, massage parlor, barber and salon shop still remain as tenants, but a jewelry repair shop recently relocated to Birdcage Centre Lane, according to signage posted on their doors.

Several stores still sport signage on entrances, flyers in windows, and merchandise still inside, but appeared to be closed in the middle of the day. Sunrise Mall management did not respond to The Sentinel’s multiple requests for comment by press time on Saturday.

The seasonal toy store Go Calendar Games and Toys is reportedly only open during the holiday shopping season. The business typically reopens in the fall each year, along with Spirit Halloween, which usually resides in the former Sears building. T and Z Toys opened just before Christmas in 2022 and continues to operate.

Several tenants experienced water damage following winter storms and had to close temporarily or permanently, including Zumiez, which had been a stable tenant at the mall for 25 years according to prior reports. Another long-time tenant, Champs also closed in late January 2024.

See’s Candies shuttered last year, but opened a new location at the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Uplands Way in August of 2023. Sentinel staff could not verify if the candy store had been the longest tenant at the mall, but a business license previously posted at the store dates to about the time the mall opened in the late 1970s.

The Underground Clothing store, which served underprivileged families, temporarily closed in 2023 and it is unclear when the store will open or whether it will reopen at the Sunrise Mall.

What’s next for Sunrise Mall?
The city has been working to attract developers interested in redevelopment at the aging mall site, with The Sentinel previously reporting that a 289-page plan for “Sunrise Tomorrow” was developed at a cost of over $1 million to the city, including an extensive Environmental Impact Report in an effort to make the property “shovel ready” and as attractive as possible to developers.

The plan envisions creating a walkable “21st Century Main Street,” with five key ideas guiding the plan: creating an economic engine, livable neighborhoods, streets for people, connected green spaces, and making the site a “community and regional destination.”

The four-phase plan is projected to take 20 years to be fully completed, with the first phase likely being to develop unused parking areas. However, the city does not own the property, so the plan requires the involvement of private developers to become a reality.

The city says the second phase is expected to incorporate office space, retail, dining, and an extended-stay hotel. The third and fourth phases include redeveloping the existing mall into a “21st Century Main Street.”

As reported last month, the city is currently reviewing plans for a tentative subdivision map of a 2.8-acre parcel at Sunrise Boulevard and Greenback Lane, which includes a footprint for a potential hotel at the site but does not include a formal development proposal. A separate permit would be required for the design of a future hotel building, following the approval of a parcel map.

The city told The Sentinel last month that the current tentative map is “ready to move forward as soon as the owner is ready.”