Modesto’s Vintage Faire Mall reopens after coronavirus shutdown; most shops closed
As retail and restaurants begin to reopen across Stanislaus County, one of the region’s biggest shopping centers is also lumbering back to life.
Vintage Faire Mall began reopening Friday, after nine weeks of being closed and locked to the public due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The north Modesto shopping complex has been shuttered except for its exterior restaurants and LensCrafters by appointment since March 22 due the statewide stay-at-home order.
Vintage Faire Mall management sent out a press release announcing the mall’s reopening Friday afternoon. The common areas will be accessible from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. The center will be open on Memorial Day as well.
Still, most stores have not reopened inside or outside of the mall. In the mall’s outside addition, the Apple store was its main sign of life. The retailer began allowing people inside this week, but with strict safety measures for customers including limiting capacity, wearing provided masks and having temperatures taken before entry. Half-a-dozen masked employees staffed pop-up tents outside the store to instruct customers on the procedures.
The state’s approval of Stanislaus County’s variance application on Wednesday paved the way for retail shopping centers including malls to reopen. Restaurants have also been given the green light to begin reopening their dining rooms, and more than 70 and counting in the county have welcomed diners back across the region already.
Some mall restaurants reopen dining rooms
The mall’s restaurants are also reopening for dine-in service. BJ’s Restarant & Brewhouse, Buckhorn BBQ, Johnny Carino’s Italian Restaurant and Stone Fire Pizza by Midici have all reopened their dining rooms and were seating guests in time for Memorial Day weekend. Chili’s Bar & Grill plans to reopen Tuesday, May 26.
But many of the center’s other restaurants were still only offering takeout including Buffalo Wild Wings, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Panera Bread, which all said they don’t plan on reopening their dining rooms until early-to-mid-June. Mimi’s Cafe closed all of its locations, including its Dale Road site, March 23 and has yet to announce a reopen date.
Inside the mall a few dozen people strolled and shopped in open stores shortly after the center opened, with more coming steadily. About 15 of the mall’s more than 100 shops were open or opening for for in-person shopping Saturday morning. They included the Gap, Mainland Surf & Sand, Pheroni, Glamify Me, Global Luggage, Journeys and Journeys Kids, as well as several shoe and jewelry stores.
Another about a dozen of the center kiosks, selling everything from beauty products to cell phones and kids toys, were also open.
Glamify Me, a beauty product retailer, opened with a line out the door. The shop was requiring masks, which it was handing out, to shop and only allowing three to five people in the store at a time.
Among those anxiously waiting to get inside was Modesto-based esthetician Lisa Dawn. She got a giftbag filled with freebies from the shop, and said its return is a positive sign that her industry might be allowed to return to work sooner rather than later.
“I have no fear about coming (to the mall) as long as people are taking precautions,” she said. “We need to have people feel comfortable going out because we have to reopen businesses.”
Macy’s, Penney remain closed in Modesto mall
But the mall’s two remaining anchors, Macy’s and J.C. Penney remained closed to in-store shopping. Macy’s has been offering same-day curbside pick-up of orders in the center’s east parking garage entrance from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. The center has also created a number of curbside pickup parking spaces across from its main southern entrance near the Starbucks.
Signs of the mall’s more than two-month closure were evident around its ground, with weeds cropping up in the sidewalk cracks and across the parking lots.
Vintage Faire Mall spokesperson Annie Amies said as more retailers open back up, they will be added to the center’s website at www.shopvintagefairemall.com.
In a press release about the reopening, Amies said the center has “significantly enhanced cleaning and sanitizing protocols” and signs were posted throughout advising guests to practice social distancing. Masks are not required to enter.
“We are looking forward to seeing our retail partners and welcoming local shoppers back to Vintage Faire Mall,” Amies said in the statement. “More than ever, people are ready to safely get back to the places and activities they’ve been missing and we are excited to be a big part of this. All of us are committed to ensuring our property can get back to making major contributions to our local economy through jobs, sales taxes and more.”
