Westfield Plaza Bonita
Encyclopedia
Westfield Plaza Bonita, formerly Shopping Town Plaza Bonita, is a shopping mall
in National City, California
, owned by the Westfield Group. Its anchor stores are JCPenney, AMC Theaters, Borders
, Macy's
and Target
.
Before the purchase of the property by Westfield, the mall featured its own individual identity featuring a rather bold all-lower cased sans-serif font as well as a tri-color red and orange rainbow-like logo. While most of the original logos were taken down over time, specifically during the remodel, one prominent remainder of the mall's past is visible to patrons as they enter the property on Plaza Bonita Road, large concrete letters of the namesake mall are still embedded into the roadside.
The mall has always featured a variety of local stores as well as other staples of major American malls such as the Foot Locker
chain, Hallmark
, Express, Hollister Co.
, and Hot Topic
. The mall has also in the past featured such now defunct chains as Waldenbooks, Garden Botanika, and was one of four original locations of the concept Sesame Street
General Store.
During the 1990s, the mall erected a large marquee sign that was visible from the 805 Freeway. However, local architecture critics were less than pleased, with the San Diego Union-Tribune awarding it its "Onion" Award for its poor choice. However in the years since, the sign was modified with several of the design elements removed apart from the electronic marquee board.
Westfield America, Inc., a precursor to The Westfield Group
acquired the shopping center in 1994, and renamed it "Westfield Shopping town Plaza Bonita" in 1998, dropping the "Shoppingtown" name in June 2005.
In mid-2002, the Westfield America, embarked on a full renovation project to modernize the mall and bring a more youthful attitude to the center. The new look is the Westfield signature look, found in most Westfield malls. The entire center was repainted in lighter colors, glass railings replaced the metal and wood railings, most of the lush plants were removed, new faux-marble floors were installed, and the food court lost its center platform in lieu of a single dining floor. Many criticized the look as generic and sterile, but in turn did bring the mall up to date. The same year, an Outback Steakhouse
, opened in an underused portion of the northwest parking lot. It was the second full service restaurant to open at the mall after Applebee's
which opened in the mall in 1993.
In mid-2006, the former Wards store, which had been the location of seasonal retailers (Halloween costumers and art shows) was stripped and gutted and a new plan was announced to the public that the South end of the mall would be demolished and rebuilt. Westfield Plaza Bonita is underwent a full renovation from 2006 until 2008. In 2006, Mervyn's closed its mall location, in lieu of a standalone location elsewhere in National City. The former Mervyn's location became a temporary outlet for faux-French furniture, with no planned retailers opening in the near future. Numerous new stores and entertainment options were opened, most prominently were Target
, AMC Theatres
, and Borders
bookstore. To accommodate the expected influx of new patrons to the area, a new parking garage, the first in the mall's history, was opened. In addition, numerous new retail stores and outdoor restaurants were opened.
The first part of the expansion opened in March 2008, with several other stores opening during the summer including the Target in July 2008, with a final completion date of Fall 2008. However, because of an on-going recession in the United States tied to the housing market crunch in San Diego County, several stores were slow to open and projected numbers were not as high as originally predicted, but the mall operator plans to see brisk business with the Holiday 2008 shopping season.
(now Anchor Blue) and a new restaurant Pat & Oscars.
However, during the two year renovation in 2006, Westfield announced plans for a movie theater to return to the mall, however much larger and more advanced than the previous. The AMC Plaza Bonita 14 was opened on May 16, 2008 with General Manager Lance Phelps in charge, a 20 year AMC Veteran. AMC Plaza Bonita 14 the second busiest theater in San Diego behind AMC Mission Valley 20. The theater became only the second all-digital theater of its kind in the area (first being AMC Otay Ranch 12) and is equipped with Sony SRX 4K Projectors that have an even higher quality than many traditional high-definition video screen. They theaters contains 14 theaters with 1 being an IMAX Digital theater, 13 theaters equipped with Sony 4K Projectors and 3 of them equipped with RealD 3D technology for 3D films. The theater also boasts many modern conveniences and luxuries that American movie-goers have come to expect in recent years including reclining stadium style seating. It was announced that AMC Plaza Bonita 14 will be opening an IMAX Theater on May 22, 2009 just in time for the release of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.
, Subway
, and Hot Dog on a Stick
moved to larger locations at 'Cafe Terrace', while other places that called the old "Food Court" home like 'Pho Express', 'Genghis Khan Mongolian Barbecue', and 'Great Steak and Potato', did not. It is presumed these tenants did not renew their leases or did not find a viable location within the new area. Cafe Terrace also introduced several new eateries to the mall including such national chains as Johnny Rockets
, Nestle
-Toll House Bakery, and El Torito
. To capitalize on the new area, the movie theater was conveniently located at the southeast end of the food court to capture hungry patrons of the cinema.
While technically not with "Cafe Terrace", but rather in a larger space directly beneath "Cafe Terrace", the Jollibee
Restaurant corporation of the Philippines, operating three of its restaurant Chowking
and Red Ribbon
concept brands in one location, in conjunction with area's large expatriate population.
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
in National City, California
National City, California
National City is a city in San Diego County, California. The population was 58,582 at the 2010 census, up from 54,260 at the 2000 census. National City is the second oldest city in San Diego County and has a historic past.-History:...
, owned by the Westfield Group. Its anchor stores are JCPenney, AMC Theaters, Borders
Borders Group
Borders Group, Inc. was an international book and music retailer based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The company employed approximately 19,500 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders and Waldenbooks stores....
, Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
and Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
.
History
The mall opened in 1981 as the first fully indoor mall in the South Bay Area anchored by JC Penney, Mervyn's, Montgomery Ward, and May Company. The original design include large sky lights, orange and silver ceiling banners, muted browns, wooden fixtures and railings, smooth surface concrete planters with wood benches, musky brown tiles, and lush greens throughout. The mall would be characterized as having an "autumn" tone. Lining the first floor were several full glass-counter kiosks for smaller or seasonal retailers which in time were joined with additional "cart kiosks". The entire complex was celebrated in the center by a two story onyx-glass water fountain where patrons could sit around the water works. At one point it was also the location for the mall's kids club. This original motif stayed with the mall until mid-2002.Before the purchase of the property by Westfield, the mall featured its own individual identity featuring a rather bold all-lower cased sans-serif font as well as a tri-color red and orange rainbow-like logo. While most of the original logos were taken down over time, specifically during the remodel, one prominent remainder of the mall's past is visible to patrons as they enter the property on Plaza Bonita Road, large concrete letters of the namesake mall are still embedded into the roadside.
The mall has always featured a variety of local stores as well as other staples of major American malls such as the Foot Locker
Foot Locker
Foot Locker, Inc. is an American sportswear and footwear retailer, with its headquarters in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, and operating in approximately 20 countries worldwide. Formerly known as Venator Group, Inc., it is the successor corporation to the F.W. Woolworth Company , and many of...
chain, Hallmark
Hallmark Cards
Hallmark Cards is a privately owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce C. Hall, Hallmark is the largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was awarded the National Medal of Arts....
, Express, Hollister Co.
Hollister Co.
Hollister Co., sometimes advertised as Hollister or HCo., is an American lifestyle brand by Abercrombie & Fitch Co. The concept was originally designed to attract consumers aged 14–18 through its SoCal-inspired image and casual wear. Goods are available in-store and through the company's online store...
, and Hot Topic
Hot Topic
Hot Topic is an American retail chain specializing in music and pop culture-related clothing and accessories, as well as licensed music on CD. The majority of the stores are located in regional shopping malls. The first Hot Topic store was opened in 1988 by Orv Madden, who retired as CEO in 2000...
. The mall has also in the past featured such now defunct chains as Waldenbooks, Garden Botanika, and was one of four original locations of the concept Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
General Store.
During the 1990s, the mall erected a large marquee sign that was visible from the 805 Freeway. However, local architecture critics were less than pleased, with the San Diego Union-Tribune awarding it its "Onion" Award for its poor choice. However in the years since, the sign was modified with several of the design elements removed apart from the electronic marquee board.
Westfield America, Inc., a precursor to The Westfield Group
The Westfield Group
The Westfield Group is an Australian shopping centre group undertaking ownership, development, design, construction, funds/asset management, property management, leasing and marketing activities...
acquired the shopping center in 1994, and renamed it "Westfield Shopping town Plaza Bonita" in 1998, dropping the "Shoppingtown" name in June 2005.
In mid-2002, the Westfield America, embarked on a full renovation project to modernize the mall and bring a more youthful attitude to the center. The new look is the Westfield signature look, found in most Westfield malls. The entire center was repainted in lighter colors, glass railings replaced the metal and wood railings, most of the lush plants were removed, new faux-marble floors were installed, and the food court lost its center platform in lieu of a single dining floor. Many criticized the look as generic and sterile, but in turn did bring the mall up to date. The same year, an Outback Steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse is an American casual dining restaurant chain based in Tampa, Florida with over 1200 locations in 22 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. It was founded in February 1988 in Tampa by Bob Basham, Chris T...
, opened in an underused portion of the northwest parking lot. It was the second full service restaurant to open at the mall after Applebee's
Applebee's
Applebee’s International, Inc., is an American company which develops, franchises, and operates the Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar restaurant chain. As of September 2011, there were 2,010 restaurants operating system-wide in the United States, one U.S. territory and 14 other countries...
which opened in the mall in 1993.
In mid-2006, the former Wards store, which had been the location of seasonal retailers (Halloween costumers and art shows) was stripped and gutted and a new plan was announced to the public that the South end of the mall would be demolished and rebuilt. Westfield Plaza Bonita is underwent a full renovation from 2006 until 2008. In 2006, Mervyn's closed its mall location, in lieu of a standalone location elsewhere in National City. The former Mervyn's location became a temporary outlet for faux-French furniture, with no planned retailers opening in the near future. Numerous new stores and entertainment options were opened, most prominently were Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
, AMC Theatres
AMC Theatres
AMC Theatres , officially known as AMC Entertainment, Inc., is the second largest movie theater chain in North America with 5,325 screens, second only to Regal Entertainment Group, and one of the United States's four national cinema chains AMC Theatres (American Multi-Cinema), officially known as...
, and Borders
Borders Group
Borders Group, Inc. was an international book and music retailer based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The company employed approximately 19,500 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders and Waldenbooks stores....
bookstore. To accommodate the expected influx of new patrons to the area, a new parking garage, the first in the mall's history, was opened. In addition, numerous new retail stores and outdoor restaurants were opened.
The first part of the expansion opened in March 2008, with several other stores opening during the summer including the Target in July 2008, with a final completion date of Fall 2008. However, because of an on-going recession in the United States tied to the housing market crunch in San Diego County, several stores were slow to open and projected numbers were not as high as originally predicted, but the mall operator plans to see brisk business with the Holiday 2008 shopping season.
Movie Theater
The mall had previously had a small movie theater that was removed in 1997, that sat empty for some years before being taken over as an expanded space for the then-retailer Millers OutpostAnchor Blue Clothing Company
Anchor Blue Inc. was a Corona, California-based clothing retailer which had over 100 stores in the western United States. It generally sold its own Anchor Blue brand name of youth oriented denim, graphic tees and casual clothing...
(now Anchor Blue) and a new restaurant Pat & Oscars.
However, during the two year renovation in 2006, Westfield announced plans for a movie theater to return to the mall, however much larger and more advanced than the previous. The AMC Plaza Bonita 14 was opened on May 16, 2008 with General Manager Lance Phelps in charge, a 20 year AMC Veteran. AMC Plaza Bonita 14 the second busiest theater in San Diego behind AMC Mission Valley 20. The theater became only the second all-digital theater of its kind in the area (first being AMC Otay Ranch 12) and is equipped with Sony SRX 4K Projectors that have an even higher quality than many traditional high-definition video screen. They theaters contains 14 theaters with 1 being an IMAX Digital theater, 13 theaters equipped with Sony 4K Projectors and 3 of them equipped with RealD 3D technology for 3D films. The theater also boasts many modern conveniences and luxuries that American movie-goers have come to expect in recent years including reclining stadium style seating. It was announced that AMC Plaza Bonita 14 will be opening an IMAX Theater on May 22, 2009 just in time for the release of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.
Cafe Terrace
The original Food Court was shuttered in March 2008 and the new "Cafe Terrace" opened in the expanded area of the mall to much fanfare. Several previous tenants such as Panda ExpressPanda Express
Panda Express is a fast casual restaurant chain serving American Chinese cuisine. It operates mainly inside the United States, in casinos, shopping malls, supermarkets, airports, train stations, strip plazas, theme parks, stadiums, college campuses and The Pentagon...
, Subway
Subway (restaurant)
Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
, and Hot Dog on a Stick
Hot Dog on a Stick
HDOS Enterprises, commonly known as Hot Dog on a Stick, is a fast food company originating in Santa Monica, California, originally founded by Dave Barham.-History:...
moved to larger locations at 'Cafe Terrace', while other places that called the old "Food Court" home like 'Pho Express', 'Genghis Khan Mongolian Barbecue', and 'Great Steak and Potato', did not. It is presumed these tenants did not renew their leases or did not find a viable location within the new area. Cafe Terrace also introduced several new eateries to the mall including such national chains as Johnny Rockets
Johnny Rockets
Johnny Rockets is an American restaurant franchise whose concept is to create a classic American restaurant atmosphere. The theme is the diner-style restaurant that had become a common sight by the 1950s...
, Nestle
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
-Toll House Bakery, and El Torito
El Torito
El Torito is a Mexican restaurant chain, consisting of 69 restaurants which are located primarily in California. Some of the restaurants are located in Oregon, Arizona, and overseas. El Torito is one of several Mexican cuisine restaurant chains operated by Real Mex Restaurants...
. To capitalize on the new area, the movie theater was conveniently located at the southeast end of the food court to capture hungry patrons of the cinema.
While technically not with "Cafe Terrace", but rather in a larger space directly beneath "Cafe Terrace", the Jollibee
Jollibee
Jollibee Foods Corporation is the parent company of Jollibee, a fast-food restaurant chain based in the Philippines. Among JFC's popular brands are Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Caffe Ti-amo, Mang Inasal and Burger King...
Restaurant corporation of the Philippines, operating three of its restaurant Chowking
Chowking
Chowking is a Philippine-based chain that pioneered the Asian quick-service restaurant concept in the Philippines. The concept combines a Western fast-food service style with Chinese food. Chowking predominantly sells noodle soups, dim sum, and rice toppings...
and Red Ribbon
Red Ribbon (bakeshop)
Red Ribbon Bakeshop is a popular fast-food chain and bakery in the Philippines and the United States, offering a wide range of cakes and pastries. The chain began in the Philippines in 1979 in Quezon City along Timog Avenue and started franchising in 1999. In 1984, they opened their first US...
concept brands in one location, in conjunction with area's large expatriate population.
Anchors
- AMC TheatresAMC TheatresAMC Theatres , officially known as AMC Entertainment, Inc., is the second largest movie theater chain in North America with 5,325 screens, second only to Regal Entertainment Group, and one of the United States's four national cinema chains AMC Theatres (American Multi-Cinema), officially known as...
- BordersBorders GroupBorders Group, Inc. was an international book and music retailer based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The company employed approximately 19,500 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders and Waldenbooks stores....
- JCPenney
- Macy'sMacy'sMacy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
- TargetTarget CorporationTarget Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
Previous Anchors
- MervynsMervynsMervyns was an American middle scale department store chain based in Hayward, California. It carried national brands of clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, electronics, and housewares. Many of the company's stores were in shopping malls...
(1981–2006) - May Department StoresMay Department StoresThe May Department Stores Company was a national department store chain in the United States, founded in 1877 by David May. The company ceased to exist in 2005 when it was merged with Federated Department Stores, Inc . Prior to the merger it was headquartered in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri...
- Robinsons-MayRobinsons-MayRobinsons-May was a chain of department stores operating in Southern California, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada, previously with headquarters in North Hollywood, California...
(1993–2006) - May CompanyMay Company CaliforniaMay Company California was a chain of department stores operating in the Southern California and Nevada, previously with headquarters in North Hollywood, California. It was a subsidiary of May Department Stores and merged with May's other Southern California subsidiary, J. W...
(1981–1993)
- Robinsons-May
- Montgomery WardMontgomery WardMontgomery Ward is an online retailer that carries the same name as the former American department store chain, founded as the world's #1 mail order business in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward, and which went out of business in 2001...
(1981–2001)- Operated also as Focus by WardsMontgomery WardMontgomery Ward is an online retailer that carries the same name as the former American department store chain, founded as the world's #1 mail order business in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward, and which went out of business in 2001...
and WardsMontgomery WardMontgomery Ward is an online retailer that carries the same name as the former American department store chain, founded as the world's #1 mail order business in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward, and which went out of business in 2001...
- Operated also as Focus by Wards