By Sara Beth Williams–
A real estate mogul who owns a significant amount of property in the city and region has closed escrow on a vacant anchor store on Auburn Boulevard.
Ethan Conrad Properties recently closed escrow on a Citrus Heights shopping center anchor store located at 8481 Auburn Blvd., the Business Journal reported. The property sold for $1.5 million.
The building, which has been vacant for some time, once housed Smart & Final, before the grocer closed in 2019 and moved locations to a new building on the opposite side of Citrus Heights. Following the grocer’s departure, a discount store took residence in the space for several years before also vacating in favor of a smaller store front in May of 2025.
The Discount Store eventually closed permanently following its move to a smaller suite.
Related: Discount Store appears permanently closed – Citrus Heights Sentinel
The Citrus Grove Shopping Center has been plagued with vacancies over the years, until FunCity opened earlier this year in the former Big Lots building, despite sustaining hundreds of thousands of dollars in vandalism to their electrical system.
A new E-bike outlet is also planned for 8501 Auburn Blvd., another large anchor store within the shopping center, once home to K-Mart. The owners of the soon-to-be E-bike Outlet hope to strengthen security of the back lot, and revitalize the exterior and parking lot areas of their property.
Related: Former Kmart building to get jolt of new life as E-Bike Outlet – Citrus Heights Sentinel
In a letter to Ethan Conrad Properties employees regarding the closing of sale on the property, CEO Ethan Conrad expressed plans to “remodel and improve the store’s exterior appearance,” the Business Journal reported. Currently, the vacant building sits between Wells Fargo Bank and Gold’s Gym.
Auburn Boulevard, which recently underwent two years of construction and beautification, has played a role in Conrad’s decision to close on the property. A new “Welcome to Citrus Heights” archway, stop light, crosswalks, and dedicated left-hand turn lane onto Auburn Boulevard from both the Citrus Grove shopping center, and a smaller shopping plaza across the street were added as part of the revitalization of the boulevard, allowing easier access in and out of the shopping centers.
Citrus Grove shopping center, which is in close proximity to Interstate 80 at Auburn Boulevard and Riverside Avenue, also has California Burger, Jack in the Box, a nail salon, and a cafe as other tenants.
