When will Dave & Buster’s open at Modesto’s Vintage Faire Mall? More tenants coming
Work is set to begin soon on the long-awaited Dave & Buster’s at Modesto’s Vintage Faire Mall.
Construction on the second-floor site, on the top level of the former Sears anchor space, will start this fall, said mall spokeswoman Annie Amies.
The arrival of the combination restaurant, entertainment center and arcade first became public in April 2019, when it was also revealed Dick’s Sporting Goods would relocate to the lower level of the Sears spot.
Work had begun to renovate the 150,000-square-foot old Sears building in early 2020, with machines demolishing the former department store’s auto center. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, work stopped on the Dave & Buster’s portion.
The chain announced a corporate halt on all new construction, as well as the shutdown of all of its then 137 locations across the United States and Puerto Rico. Things looked grim, as the company furloughed more than 15,000 hourly store employees.
But Dave & Buster’s has since restarted construction, and opened new locations including a Fairfield site in the North Bay this past June. Next week new interior graphics will be installed inside Vintage Faire at the site of the future entertainment center.
Amies said the Dave & Buster’s is now slated to open in spring 2022.
While the upper floor sat silent, work was completed on Dick’s Sporting Goods below and the athletic and sports accessory seller opened in the larger location in October 2020. The retailer had been in a standalone location on the Vintage Faire Mall grounds since 2011, when it filled the 33,000-square-foot former Circuit City site on Dale Road.
But there’s more new activity at Modesto’s mall than just at the former Sears site. After a roller coaster of closings and reopenings last year, Vintage Faire is making moves inside and outside.
Guests coming in through the main entrance facing Sisk Road will notice the splash fountain, which had been turned off and fallen into disrepair, has been replaced by a round patch of artificial grass. The area where children once frolicked in the summer now has some seating and umbrellas surrounding the former fountain.
Inside, the fast-fashion women’s apparel seller Windsor has opened on the second floor, across from the Macy’s Women’s & Children department store. The retailer has a long history, first founded in 1937 as a hosiery and lingerie store. The brand now specializes in special occasion and fast-fashion clothing and has more than 250 locations across the country.
Another existing retailer at the mall, Don Roberto Jewelers, is opening a second location. The Stockton-based jewelry seller is renovating a first-floor space next to the Macy’s Men’s & Home department store. The jewelry shop has another smaller space nearby, also on the ground level on the other side of the Macy’s Men & Home location.
Amies said a couple new specialty leasing small local businesses have either opened or are in the process of opening in the mall. Open now is the Forever Paisley Boutique, which sells shabby chic-style clothing, home decor, furniture and accessories. Opening in November will be Outfitters, an urban-wear men and women’s clothing retailer.
And finally, especially with the holidays coming soon, Amies said nearly all retailers at the mall are currently hiring. Jobs are listed at www.shopvintagefairemall.com/jobs.
This story was originally published October 11, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
