City Place Shopping Center — Attraction in Long Beach

City Place is the 2019 version of a boom town after the miners moved on. In this case, it was Walmart that left - oddly after pouring umpteen thousands of dollars into converting the store into a Godzilla-sized Walmart complete with a supermarket and pharmacy. Then about a month after all the construction was completed the store announced they would be closing in 2 weeks! The drastic impact of a new Walmart on local businesses has been well documented. But the impact on the businesses who were like remora fish is a mixed blend of "Final Sale - Everything Must Go" and the "If the Captain has no objection, We'd like to go down with ship." The California Ghost Town of Bodie has a similar sense of some sempitermal sleep that fell over the area causing an unreal sensation that while it's mostly quiet with few crowds of people, that one has only to wait and one day everything will come magically back to Life. That isn't to say that there aren't fine stores worth your visit (I have reviewed a few of them), it's more something unspoken, something felt rather than known. It's a somewhat sad feeling mixed with the sobering thought that this kind of slow attrition is happening all across...

Nice newish architecture and buildings, good design for the waking shopper, with permanent boardwalk vendor stands/kiosks.

The problem is that although it's stylized as a foot traffic friendly outdoor mall complex, the two main anchors (Wal-Mart and Fresh& Easy) have vacated, leaving large empty hulks that accent the aura of a modernist ghost town.

There is a huge, brand new, super duper discount grocery market with fantastic prices on one side of the Blvd, and the Metro Blue Line train stops right there every few minutes, along with ample parking in an almost vacant parking structure.

I certainly wouldn't recommend this as the casual shopping/strolling destination that it was designed to be, as even the Starbucks there hasn't the amenities for a good sit down, but there are a couple of cell phone stores, a Subway sandwich restaurant, and a coupler of other Ma & Pa fast food establishments.

It's like a destination that died on the vine, resembling what it was supposed to be.

I give this a rating of... Two...

I'm so grateful the area is definitely going in the direction of gentrified diversity. The mix of retail choices has changed to better serve the young upscale professionals moving into the tony new pricy infill housing.

There's a hip furniture store, a hip burger place, a trendy shake place, Under The Sun - an outstanding raw vegan restaurant, yoga, a craft beer bar and Rainbow Juices - a top quality, carryout real juice bar.

These are blended with Ross Dress for Less, Payless Shoes, Chucky Cheese, Sally's Beauty Supply, Big 5 & a phone retailer for the proletariat.

Not sure how much of this is organic and how much is due to the pro-active work of the Urban Retail Collaborative that has moved its HQ into the CPS community they're charged with evolving. However it has come into being, it's wonderful and I'm a regular patron. I would have given 5 stars but for the absence of basic amenities like public restrooms which few of the retailers provide here, even though the chains offers them in other LB...