YUBA-SUTTER, CA (MPG) - Millennials across the region might be shocked to find themselves suddenly relevant again as fashion trends from the ’80s and ’90s continue to make a comeback. This vintage resurgence has also started to include old pastimes such as roller skating, bowling, going to the arcade and dare we say malling.

“After being cooped up during COVID, people are getting back to shopping at malls,” said Glynis Buschmann, a longtime Yuba City resident and community photographer. “Despite mail and delivery services, nothing compares to touching merchandise, interacting with people and enjoying something in the food court.”

Rachel Madsen, also of Yuba City, said she never stopped malling. Nathan Jennings of Plumas Lake encourages malling as an alternative to “doom scrolling” and excessive screen use.

“It was my favorite to just get out and have the feeling of independence when I was younger,” said Jennings. “No money, no worries, got to hang out with friends. Today, I enjoy the time spent with my daughter just walking around and watching her shop.”

A mall, by definition, is a large building or series of connected buildings containing a variety of retail stores and typically restaurants and other opportunities for leisure and recreation. In the United States, open air shopping centers came first with the establishment of Lakewood Shopping Center in California in 1952. Next came the fully enclosed and climate-controlled version with the opening of Southdale Center in Minnesota in 1956. Fast forward 20 years and more than 25,000 shopping malls would be available to residents throughout the country.

By the 1980s, malls had become an iconic gathering place for young people and accounted for the majority of all retail sales in America. During the 1990s, approximately 140 new malls were opened each year but that momentum quickly started to ease toward the turn of the century and since 2007 few, if any, new conventional enclosed malls have been built in the United States.

The Yuba-Sutter region tracks right alongside this timeline with the area's first mall, Peach Tree Mall, being built in 1972. Peach Tree Mall was met with great success until 1986 when a levee break on the Yuba River caused great damage and flooding. In 1990, Yuba City opened its first and only enclosed mall originally called “The Mall at Yuba City” and later “Yuba Sutter Mall” and finally “Yuba Sutter Marketplace” as it emerged from the COVID-19 related lockdowns of 2020.

“The owner did an incredible job in transforming the property and the tenant line-up,” said Bob Harlan, executive director for Yuba-Sutter-Colusa United Way. “A total revival.”

Indeed, the scene and vibe at Yuba Sutter Marketplace is beginning to feel notably different. Two years ago, it had a remarkable boon with the addition of new businesses and anchor stores such as Hobby Lobby, Burlington, Five Below, Turners and Boot Barn.

Community life inside the mall is also beginning to flourish. Ground Up near the food court hosts weekly jiu jitsu classes and training sessions where members develop close-knit ties. Next door is Adventure Alley, a new indoor play area geared toward the region's youngest shoppers. Those between the ages of 4 and 11 might also enjoy Kids Club, a free monthly program that typically involves crafts, stories, presentations and other fun activities. Starting this weekend, Nov. 8, mothers and those expecting can find support and connection at the Mother & Babies Group, a weekly session hosted by Sutter County Public Health Maternal Child Health. GameStop is also getting in on the action by hosting monthly Pokémon nights with the next one scheduled for Friday, Nov. 8, starting at 3 p.m.

“It's been really fun,” said Reid Mertes, a GameStop employee. “We get to hang out, trade cards and teach them the game and just have a good time.”

Gaming in particular seems to be carving its own niche on the Yuba-Sutter malling scene with a heavy leaning toward anime culture. Aside from GameStop and At the Pier Arcade, Power Up Toys also opened in 2022, and Gamer Life, a retro inspired store had its grand opening anniversary celebration this past weekend. Two more new additions are MINISO, a store overflowing with Asian-inspired toys and collectibles, and Kiddleton, a Japanese arcade company focused on claw machines filled to the brim with the latest trending Anime products and exclusive “Kawaii” toys.

Following this Asian-influenced trend, shoppers can now find boba or bubble teas in the food court, a place bustling with a variety of cultural options and flavors. From El Salvadorian pupusas to Italian calzones and Vietnamese pho, there seems to be something to satisfy everyone's taste buds. Among the newest additions is Magna’s Burgers & Dogs which features classic American dishes with a Peruvian twist.

This is Nathan Street’s first service industry venture and with 109 five-star Google reviews, he said that “things are going pretty well.”

“Statistically, having a hundred reviews is rare but having a hundred five-star reviews is even rarer and that puts us in the top 2 to 5 percent of all businesses in the United States,” said Street.

Street started cooking at a very young age but his passion was amplified by the birth of his first child, who was extremely allergic to milk and peanuts.

“With that, you can't buy most traditional stuff at the store so I learned to bake and cook just about everything, anything normal so that my kid could have a normal life,” explained Street.

Street's skill paired with his life experience living in Peru for several years led to the opening of Magna’s which incorporates many of his original recipes enhanced with Peruvian spices and peppers. For example, Magna’s signature “awesome sauce” adds an extra level of flavor to any dish with a tart but subtle smokiness. Likewise, the Lucuma shake is also quite popular with a taste that resembles taro or vanilla bean but with a nuttier finish that's slightly less sweet.

Next but certainly not least is the addition of Carters, which opened in August, and Shoe Palace, which opened in October in the old FYE location.

What else can you do at Yuba Sutter Marketplace? How about get a massage, go to the gym, cash a check, rent a car, have your portrait taken or even donate plasma. Yes, the option to donate plasma for compensation will be available very shortly at ABO Plasma inside the mall.

“These new additions have been well received in the community and are a wonderful indicator of stores wanting to invest in our center and in Yuba City,” said Natasha Shelton, senior general manager at Yuba Sutter Marketplace. “We are looking forward to adding more stores in the future as we continue to network within our retail community."

Now that you’ve been briefed on all things mall, what would your perfect mall day look like at the local marketplace? Let us know in the comments or email [email protected].