By Sara Beth Williams–
Plans are now underway to convert a long-vacant Auburn Boulevard building in Citrus Heights into a full-service e-bike dealership, with renovations expected to take place over the next year.
The new e-bike outlet, which will be a full-service retail and servicing center, is spearheaded by Isaac and Jacob Stabler, who currently operate an ATV dealership and servicing center in Sacramento County.
The Stablers closed on the vacant building at 8501 Auburn Blvd. in Citrus Heights one month ago, Isaac Stabler said in an interview with The Sentinel Friday. The brothers plan to open a new e-bike shop in early 2027, transferring all of their merchandise from their old shop into the new location.
The new electric bike outlet will feature less expensive e-bikes for under $1,000, Stabler said. Plans include a new showroom for the front of the building and a full-service warehouse in the back of the building utilized for servicing and maintaining.
The dealership currently owned by the Stablers leases and sells e-bikes, dirt e-bikes, and ATVs, with 95 percent of their inventory being electric bikes and the rest gas-powered vehicles.
The vacant building once housed Kmart until 2016. In 2018, Studio Movie Grill purchased and began renovating the building to become an upscale movie theater and dining concept. The Citrus Heights Studio Movie Grill site was expected to be the company’s 39th location.
In 2019, contractors filed an estimated $4.5 million in mechanic’s liens against Studio Movie Grill and its affiliate TNTF LLC, as well as retail property redevelopment company Red Mountain Group, Sacramento Business Journal reported in 2020.
The Sentinel previously reported that Studio Movie Grill paused construction at the site in 2020, with the company later filing for bankruptcy after citing the “unparalleled impact of COVID-19.” Construction then halted completely due to lack of payment to construction contractors, the Journal reported.
According to Stabler, who reviewed the building plans from Studio Movie Grill’s remodeling, the movie theater company spent over $13 million completely renovating the building, adding new HVAC, new walls, an industrial kitchen, and multiple rows of movie theater auditoriums, before the project was halted midway.
Contractors also left thousands of dollars worth of drywall sheets and concrete bags outside the building. The materials were damaged during rainy weather, The Sentinel reported.
Patrick Murphy, a property manager for the site at the time, told The Sentinel in a phone call in 2022 he was not aware of materials left at the site.
Related: Rain damages drywall, concrete left outside abandoned Movie Grill site – Citrus Heights Sentinel
Following the fizzled plans for a new theater, the vacant building was then purchased by Spring of Life Church, but plans for renovating the space into a new sanctuary, cafe, kids’ center, and more never materialized, and the building was listed for sale again.
The shopping center has seen its fair share of turnover as several businesses have vacated the plaza over the last decade, with Smart and Final and Big Lots vacating shortly afterward. Most recently, The Discount Store vacated its space to move into a smaller space before shuttering completely.
A spark of hope has come in the form of FunCity Trampoline Park, which has renovated the former Big Lots building and plans to open for business within the month.
Stabler said he and his company plan to clean up and revamp immediately adjacent parking lots and bring in fresh new landscaping to revitalize the shopping center. He also has plans to install stronger and more updated security gates around the back of the building.
Lastly, the new e-bike outlet company plans to lease out a small 5,000 square foot space in between the vacant building and FunCity’s space, which is slated to become a new eatery separate from their currently owned e-bike business.
Owners anticipate opening the new e-bike dealership in the beginning of 2027.
