Longstanding Orange County Mall To Close

ORANGE, CA — The Village at Orange is expected to close later this month.

“For more than 50 years the Village at Orange Mall has been a focal point for shopping, dining and entertainment in the City of Orange,” management said in a message to merchants dated Sept. 12 that has circulated on social media.

“But like so many of its Southern California peers, its era has passed.”

Management in the message said the interior portion of the mall would close Jan. 31, citing changing customer preferences and an evolving retail industry that have created an environment in which large regional malls are no longer viable.

“Coming back in here is nostalgic, a sad type of nostalgic not seeing it thrive how it used to,” shopper Briana Martinez told NBC4, which confirmed the closure.

The September message said that TVO, which oversees the mall, would submit an application to the city of Orange for the removal of the mall’s interior after the closure.

“We are in the process of planning for the revitalization of the remaining exterior storefronts at the Village of Orange to reposition the shopping center for long-term success in this new retail environment,” the message said.

Several business owners in the mall have found new locations but some were still looking as of this week, NBC4 reported.

TVO did not immediately respond Tuesday afternoon to a request for comment from Patch.