Closing Raley's worries devotees of Modesto's Century Center

Twenty-five years ago, if you lived on the east side of town and were going shopping for groceries or clothes, there's a good chance you headed to Century Center.

The bustling shopping plaza at East Orangeburg Avenue and Oakdale Road boasted Gottschalks and Raley's as anchor stores. Several eateries and specialty stores also called Century Center home.

Gottschalks expanded several times; a home store sat to the east of the main building, and smaller shop fronts catered to plus-size and petite women. At one point, the Fresno-based retailer rented an additional space to sell toys during the holidays.

But Gottschalks went out of business in 2009, and with Raley's announcing this week that it also would close that location by the end of March, the future of the shopping center is uncertain at best.

"We miss it a lot," Joann Bertolotti said of Gottschalks. She and her family have lived a mile from the center for 33 years; on Thursday, she met friend Cheryl Detmar at Starbucks. And though she doesn't regularly shop atRaley's anymore — her son works for Save Mart — she often stopped in for an item or two.

The economic downturn that spelled demise for Gottschalks still affects the region, with unemployment hovering around 15 percent and public agencies continuing to cut back amid falling revenues.

Still, Bertolotti is mystified by the center's failure to attract large tenants. "We could support a shopping center here," she said. "This is an influential demographic."

Several other shopping areas have cropped up since Century Center's heyday: A Save Mart that opened in 2001 anchors a center at Scenic Drive and Oakdale. The growth of Village I and Riverbank to the north gave rise to shopping areas at Floyd and Roselle avenues and Oakdale and Claribel roads, respectively.

A representative of the Village One Plaza, where another Raley's is located, visited Century Center on Thursday, trying to lure tenants into relocating.

Sheila and Derwin Yee, owners of ATA Karate for Kids, said they've seen numerous changes since opening their business in 2000.

"When Gottschalks was here, you couldn't pick your parking spot," Sheila Yee said, looking out at the nearly empty lot. "And you'd have to wait for a spot to eat next door (at the Ice Cream Company)."

The department store brought the Yees walk-by business that hasn't been replicated: Derwin Yee estimated that 30 percent fewer people stop in to Karate for Kids since the department store closed. "Now it's our reputation that's kept us going."

Added Sheila Yee: "We're doing well. But it'd be nice to do as well as we were doing three years ago."

And Raley's is handy for parents, who can run to the grocery store while their children take martial arts lessons.

Bertolotti and Detmar, who retired from the city of Modesto finance department a few years ago, said they could run to the center on their lunch breaks for a gift.

"No way you could get to (Vintage Faire) Mall and back," Detmar said.

Now a retiree, Bertolotti has more time and she shops at Kohl's. But she misses Gottschalks.

"You could get high-end clothes," she said. "And I still have the dishes that I bought there. And the gift-wrapping was awesome."

Newer complexes have attracted tenants that otherwise might have gone into the dated Century Center, which hasn't seen a renovation in recent years.

The Hallmark store between Gottschalks and Raley's also announced it will close; longtime florist Country Shelf recently moved.

Still, there is hope among some of the businesses that remain, including the newest tenant, Planet Fitness.

Open a mere 12 days, the $10-per-month gym has been doing a brisk business, manager Stan McDowell said.

Having a grocery store in the complex is nice, but not necessary, McDowell said. "We'll be fine."

Nationally, Planet Fitness has done well in locations that are otherwise desolate. "We become the anchor, and we'll fill it out," he said. "See what happens in the next two to three years."

Other Century Center mainstays, including restaurants such as Round Table Pizza, Ridgways and Torii Japanese Steakhouse, remain fairly busy, as do Creations Salon, Terry's Touch of Gold jewelry and GNC. The Starbucks where Bertolotti and Detmar met Thursday was bustling, though employees admitted to a bit of trepidation about Raley's closing. The Ice Cream Company will reopen soon under new owners.

Without a grocer or department store to draw the big crowds, however, it's not clear what's next for Century Center or its tenants. Those who have frequented the shopping center can do little but hope for the best.

"For the area we live in, it hurts not to have something here," Bertolotti said. "It's going to be weird."

Bee staff writer Patty Guerra can be reached at pguerra@modbee.com or (209) 578-2343.