By Sara Beth Williams–
Almost one year after combining businesses, a jewelry company has vacated its space at Sunrise Mall, leaving only A-frame signs and empty jewelry cases behind its closed gates.
Kay Jewelers remains the last jeweler standing in the main mall corridor after a recent visit to Sunrise Mall in mid-June found Ron Jewelers had vacated their suite, leaving it dark and empty. Employees at Kay Jewelers, whose store sits across from Ron Jewelers’ empty space, said the jewelry shop cleared out their merchandise and left at the end of last month.
A year ago, Sam’s Jewelers also left their suite and combined with Ron’s Jewelers, which was located closer to JCPenney and had the benefit of more potential foot traffic.
JCPenney remains the last national anchor store standing at Sunrise Mall and also offers a jeweler shop, hair salon, and other services within its store.
Infinity Jewelers closed in October 2025, after occupying a corner suite since 2022, leaving only Kay Jewlers and Ron Jewelers in the main corridor at the time.
An employee with Ron Jewelers in 2025 said Sam’s Jewelers and Ron Jewelers were owned by the same company and that the previous jewelers moved due to the lack of foot traffic.
The Sunrise Mall has struggled to attract even minor foot traffic, with at least one dozen businesses closing in 2025 alone. National tenants like Macy’s and Hot Topic closed in March 2025, and several other stores shuttered in succession in April, July, and October.
The City of Citrus Heights has levied millions of dollars in fines against Sunrise Mall’s majority owner, Namdar Realty Group. Following a notice to abate sent to Namdar in June 2025 for numerous code violations, the city of Citrus Heights filed a lawsuit against Namdar Realty in July 2025, seeking hundreds of thousands in accrued code violation fines and immediate abatement of multiple violations ranging from electrical and plumbing violations to landscaping and fire code violations.
In 2026, several positive developments centered around the Sunrise Mall property have occurred, including the signed lease for an indoor slide action park as well as an established partnership between the City of Citrus Heights and sports venue developer The Mettle Shop, with plans to bring a major sports center to the property.
Additionally, Sunrise Rollerland, whose owners retired and sold the business this last spring, is slated to become a new arcade fun center. The new owners, Arcade Monsters, announced last month that the former roller rink will be transformed into a modern arcade fun center. The owners also plan to maintain the existing skating rink for patrons to continue to use.
The city has long promoted the Sunrise Tomorrow Specific Plan redevelopment guide for the almost-100 acres of Sunrise Mall, which was adopted in November 2021.
The Sunrise Tomorrow Specific Plan would triple the development allowed on the site and proposes adding a maximum of 2,200 new housing units of varying types, 960,000 square feet of office space, 450,000 square feet of community and institutional space, and 320,000 square feet of retail space, plus 480 hotel rooms.
The Specific Plan calls for the creation of a “21st Century Main Street” where residents would be able to shop, eat, and gather together for community events. The goal of the redevelopment guide is to create a community and regional destination with a network of green spaces connected by trails and walkways, livable neighborhoods, and office space, which would create 24/7 foot traffic for retail shops.
According to a presentation from the Citrus Heights Historical Society during the Sunrise Mall’s 50th anniversary, Kay Jewelers was one of the original tenants at Sunrise Mall.
