Oakridge Mall in San Jose adds new merchants in center refresh
Mattress store, desserts outlet and game center are part of the ongoing revamp
SAN JOSE >> A wide-ranging upgrade at Westfield Oakridge shopping center will add several new merchants, including a mattress retailer and game and entertainment site, Oakridge executives said.
The revival replaces a former Sears department store and a shuttered Sears automotive repair outlet and is a fresh example of how shopping centers can combat the challenges posed by the forbidding retail apocalypse in the United States.
Sleep Number, GameWorks, Wheel Works, and Meet Fresh are opening during 2020, according to Westfield Oakridge, one of the Bay Area’s major
regional shopping centers.
“Westfield Oakridge is excited to continue to debut new offerings and experiences as part of the comprehensive ongoing remodel of the property’s former Sears department store space,” the mall stated in comments emailed to this news organization.
The new merchants will arrive on the heels of the opening in November 2019 of a Living Spaces store that totals more than 100,000 square feet and replaces a long-time Sears department store.
“These new offerings are part of our effort to further serve the community and to unlock Oakridge’s full potential to enhance the overall guest experience,” said Jacob Huerta, general manager with Westfield Oakridge, which is located on Blossom Hill Road at Santa Teresa Boulevard in San Jose.
All told, Westfield Oakridge plans 42,000 square feet of retail spaces that the new merchants will occupy.
Among the new offerings: GameWorks, a complete entertainment and dining experience for millennials, teens, and families.
“This will be the first GameWorks concept in Silicon Valley and will feature a large, dedicated high-tech esports lounge and world-class arcade,” Westfield Oakridge said in
the emailed comments. A branded, chef-imagined restaurant concept, The Works Kitchen at GameWorks, will be part of the new site.
Sleep Number is under construction with a new store inside the existing walls of a now-closed Sears automotive repair and tire center at Blossom Hill and Santa Teresa.
The Sleep Number store, which will total 3,000 square feet, offers individualized sleep experiences through its adjustable mattresses. A sign observed at the construction site touted a spring opening for the Sleep Number
store.
Wheel Works will share the former Sears automotive building with Sleep Number.
Meet Fresh will serve internationally renowned Taiwanese desserts utilizing traditional Taiwanese methods and offer authentic local tastes with an international flair, shopping center officials said.
“The popular new Living Spaces, which opened in 2019, was the first to be located at any shopping center in the United States,” according to Oakridge officials. “Living Spaces specializes in stylish furniture, homewares and accessories alongside living room, dining room, and bedroom collections.”
Westfield Oakridge announced in early 2019 that
it would embark on a dramatic upgrade of the center in the wake of the shutdown of the Sears store. The improvements include upgrades to the exterior façades, parking, landscaping, and signs.
Oakridge mall has nearly 200 shops and restaurants. Among the merchants: Apple, Nordstrom Rack, Target, The Cheesecake Factory, P.F. Chang’s, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, and Century Theatres.
“We continue to diversify the options for our guests to shop, eat and play at the center to bring new energy and provide engaging, meaningful choices to the community,” Huerta said.