Country Club Centre

Country Club Centre is a shopping center in the Arden-Arcade area in unincorporated Sacramento County, California, United States in the Sacramento area. It is located at the southwest corner of Watt and El Camino Avenues, diagonally across from what was the first stand-alone Tower Records store. It originally opened as a small strip shopping center in 1952 that was later expanded into a regional mall and then later converted into a mixed use of office and retail. The shopping center is currently anchored by the Sacramento area’s only Costco Business Center.

Country Club Centre (Arden-Arcade)
LocationEl Camino & Watt Avenues, Sacramento, California, United States
Coordinates38.608806°N 121.384661°W / 38.608806; -121.384661
Opening date1952
DeveloperJames J. Cordano Company, Blumenfeld Enterprises
OwnerTourmaline Capital Management
No. of stores and services9
No. of anchor tenants3 (2 vacant)
Total retail floor area370,353 square feet (34,406.9 m2)
(GLA)
No. of floors1 (2 in the rear of the main building)

History

Country Club Centre opened on August 21, 1952, with a 40,000 sq ft (3,700 m2) JCPenney and a Lucky supermarket anchoring the shopping center.[1] Later additions included Joseph Magnin, Woolworth and a three-story Rhodes department store in 1954, which later became a Liberty House in 1976, anchoring the west end of the mall.

In 1971, JCPenney closed its store, relocating across Watt Avenue to the newer Country Club Plaza with a much larger store. Other retailers, including Woolworth, also withdrew from Country Club Centre.

In 1976, after experiencing a small decline, a Montgomery Ward opened up as the new east end anchor, as well as a Longs Drugs, extension of the covered mall and addition of 6 acres (24,000 m2) of parking facilities, sparking the Sacramento Bee to comment on its "strong comeback." At that time, store space totaled 680,790 square feet (63,247 m2), 89% of which was leased.[2]

In the 1980s, Country Club Centre saw a much sharper decline when Liberty House shuttered its store in 1984, followed by Joseph Magnin when the chain declared bankruptcy and shuttered all their remaining stores. By the early 1990s, much of the interior mall shops were vacant. The interior wing that connected Liberty House was later torn down for additional parking and the old Liberty House was later repurposed into a office building. Most of the mall’s interior shops were then converted to office space. In 1992, PACE Membership Warehouse opened in the southwest corner of the shopping center. It was later rebranded to Sam's Club in 1994.

In 2001, Montgomery Ward shuttered its store as the chain went out of business. A full renovation of the shopping center occurred in 2002, to bring it and its look up to date. Walmart opened in 2004 in the old Montgomery Ward.

In 2015, Country Club Centre was sold to San Diego investors Tourmaline Capital Management for $56 million. At that time, in addition to Walmart and Sam’s Club, the shopping center was also anchored by Michaels and Anna’s Linens.

In 2018, the shopping center lost two of its major anchors. Sam’s Club shuttered its warehouse store on January 26 and Walmart shuttered its store on February 9.[3] Michaels soon followed suit when their store relocated to a shopping center on nearby Arden Way. This, in effect, left Country Club Centre anchorless for the first time in its history.

On June 4, 2020, the center gained back an anchor store as the first Costco Business Center in the Sacramento area opened in the former Sam’s Club.

As of 2021, with the exception of Costco and a handful of smaller businesses, the center is mostly vacant including the aforementioned anchors. A See's Candies shop is the only remaining store left from its 1950s original opening still in operation.[4][5]

References
  1. "Shopping Center Rises on Part of Old Rancho". Sacramento Bee. August 20, 1952. pp. 45 ff.
  2. Burns, John (December 6, 1976). "Strong Comeback (Country Club Centre)". Sacramento Bee. p. 42.
  3. Glover, Mark (January 16, 2018). "Walmart Supercenter in Sacramento slated to close Feb. 9". Sacramento Bee.
  4. Google Maps, retrieved October 10, 2020
  5. "Country Club Centre has experienced many changes". Valley Community Newspapers. September 30, 2012.
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