On Friday, October 9, Lowe and Real Capital Solutions held a ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. to unveil the renamed center. The program included remarks from Mayor Todd Gloria and Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, an Aztec blessing, and a "Taste of the Valley." The owners called the place an approximately 1.1-million-square-foot open-air retail center. In their announcement of the event, Lowe senior vice president Todd Majcher said the plan would "preserve and build on" its "expansive open-air setting and mid-century-inspired architecture."
That quote is a good map for this holiday season. The biggest projects in the plan, a sports megastore in the old Macy's building and new housing, are still on paper or set for 2027. The changes you can actually see so far are smaller. New coffee, gelato and lawn-side food tenants have moved in, and most of the center's holiday calendar takes place outdoors on the lawns and walkways it already had.
The Oasis is where everything happens
If you've been coming here for years, you know the grassy area near AMC Theatres and Yard House. The center now calls it the Oasis, and it hosts almost every December event. Santa photos run from Friday, November 27 through Thursday, December 24 in the Oasis near AMC and Yard House. The Holiday Collective Market, a free market of local makers, sets up on the Oasis lawn near AMC on Saturday, December 12. Hanukkah Under the Stars is on Wednesday, December 9 at The Oasis, with a 5 p.m. menorah lighting, a children's choir, donuts and family activities.
The other events use the same open-air walkways. Small Biz Social, on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, takes over the lawns near AMC and Nordstrom Rack. The Holiday Vintage Market with Exchange SD sets up in front of Nordstrom Rack, facing NOVO Brazil. Even the newest food tenants are designed around the grass. When the Union-Tribune covered the fall lineup in August, it said Encuentro's planned location would sell picnic baskets meant for the lawn in the center square. There San Diego described it as a kiosk right in the Oasis.
FOX 5 reported that the summer 2026 work covered planters, walkways and seating, which are the parts a lawn crowd actually uses.
The holiday calendar
All dates fall in 2026. The center's event pages carry the full details.
Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
Now through Dec. 24 | One Warm Coat Drive benefiting the YMCA of San Diego County | Centerwide |
Nov. 27 to Dec. 24 | The Oasis, near AMC and Yard House | |
Sat., Nov. 28, 1 to 6 p.m. | Lawns near AMC and Nordstrom Rack | |
Mon., Nov. 30 and Mon., Dec. 7, 5:30 to 7 p.m. | Pet Photos with Santa, walk-ups welcome | Santa set |
Sat. and Sun., Dec. 5 and 6, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. | In front of Nordstrom Rack toward NOVO Brazil | |
Sun., Dec. 6, 9 to 10:30 a.m. | Quieter setting with crafts and a private Slime Kitchen session | |
Wed., Dec. 9, 5 to 7 p.m. | The Oasis | |
Sat., Dec. 12, 1 to 6 p.m. | Oasis lawn near AMC | |
Sat., Dec. 19, 8 to 10 a.m. | Breakfast with Santa, free tickets required in advance | Outside Panera and Nordstrom Rack |
Two practical notes. The Holiday Vintage Market also collects for the coat drive, so you can bring a coat with you that weekend. Breakfast with Santa is listed for December 19 on its own event page, but the Santa Photos page lists it on December 12. Because tickets are required, check with the center before you set an alarm.
What's open between events
The food and coffee counters that opened this year fit the lawn-and-walkway layout. Most are grab-and-go or casual, and none are full-service anchors.
Philz Coffee has opened its sixth San Diego County location at Suite 1228, the Union-Tribune reported on October 28. It has indoor seating for 23 and is open 5:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. The fall menu includes Apple Cinnamon Roll Cold Brew and Pecan Pie Cold Brew, plus apple cinnamon Danish and pumpkin bread, two pastries sold only at its Southern California stores.
Bacio di Latte is the Italian gelato chain's third San Diego County shop, after Flower Hill in Del Mar and The Shops at La Jolla Village. It's at Suite FSU18.
EM Coffee House sits near the Hot Topic store, and the Union-Tribune reported that it opened April 14 as the first of the center's new food spots. According to There San Diego, owner Nick Truong imports beans directly from Vietnam and builds the menu around traditional phin-drip brews, with a ceremonial matcha series alongside. The center's directory now lists it as open.
The Stand is listed as now open on its Mission Valley location page. When it was announced, it was described as the chain's 23rd location, a 200-seat indoor and outdoor space with a bar, across from AMC. For a group heading to a movie or meeting at Santa photos, it's the largest sit-down newcomer.
Kura Sushi and BoxLunch opened over the summer. The longtime tenants are still here too. The owners' May 2026 announcement lists Target, Nordstrom Rack, AMC Theatres and Yard House among the center's core merchants.
What's still coming
The Union-Tribune's August preview gave several dates that fall right around now. Pepper Lunch was expected in November. Oakberry, the açaí bowl brand, was expected "sometime this fall." Encuentro was expected to open its second location in October. It's the Venezuelan food company that started in Old Town. As of late October, the center's store pages for Pepper Lunch and Oakberry don't show either one as open. Round1 has a directory listing but no opening date. Candeeland was named in the May leasing announcement.
The biggest change is further out. The former Macy's building is set to become California's first DICK'S House of Sport, with a climbing wall, golf simulators, an outdoor track and field, and a multi-sport cage. FOX 5 reported in August that it's targeted for sometime in 2027. The October announcement also mentions "new residential opportunities in strategic locations," but it gives no unit count and no timeline. For this December, the plan is still mostly the walkways, the new counters and the lawn.
Getting there, and a stop on Mission Gorge Road
The owners point out that the center is reachable from the Mission Valley Center trolley station, a Green Line stop at 1604 Camino de la Reina. That's handy on Small Biz Social weekend or during the vintage market. Construction is still underway, so check the center's site for parking and entrance updates before you drive.
There's also a new bakery nearby on Mission Gorge Road. Mi Pan Bakery opened its first permanent shop at 6435 Mission Gorge Road in Grantville, according to the same October 28 Union-Tribune roundup. Alejandro Gomez and Alejandra Ruelas started it as a home business in 2020, and they make sourdough, baguettes, croissants and other French-style pastries. The shop is open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. If you live in the South Bay and already know Mi Pan from the farmers market, it's still keeping its weekend stalls at the Little Italy and Chula Vista markets.
At Key Connections Real Estate, we love watching familiar San Diego places like the old Mission Valley mall get a new chapter, and we're always glad to talk about what changes like these mean for the neighborhoods around them. If you'd like to talk through what's changing near you over a coffee, Philz or Mi Pan, Book an Appointment with Karly and the team.
