FAIRFIELD — Long-time residents residents remember life before the Solano Town Center mall, but for most people the commercial site that began three decades ago has been a merchandising mainstay.
A movie theater and bookstore are among its attractions – and for residents interested in the downtown experience, Fairfield, Vacaville and Suisun City offer that in varying styles.
Vacaville’s history and Ulatis Creek.shines in its central business district, the waterfront is a star in Suisun City and Fairfield is reminder of old Highway 40 that run through town and – before Interstate 80 – was Northern California’s route to Lake Tahoe.
Fairfield businesses along Texas Street include the site of Pepperbelly’s “Fairfield’s first movie theater, which opened in 1921, was at the location of Pepperbelly’s. It was …
The city would pay $6,300 for conceptual architectural plans of the Pepperbelly’s comedy club site to use as documents in business recruitment if the Fairfield City Council approves the proposal.
Before the Jan. 25, 2013, fire, Pepperbelly’s was an anchor of downtown and provided regional name recognition that created revenue from outside Solano County, according to a city staff report.
“It’s a landmark-type building,” Fairfield Vice Mayor Rick Vaccaro said of the 849 Texas St. site. “If the architecture is done right, it could be an anchor again.”
“I’m all for doing something with the property,” he said.
Rejuvenating downtown has always been on the minds of the City Council, Vaccaro said.
Building owner David Wayne Mayhew has agreed to work with the city to market the structure, the city staff report states.
The $6,300 is half of Mayhew’s cost for an architect’s design and marketing documents for rehabilitating the building.
“Successful reuse of the building will provide regional marketing for the city,” the report adds. “Executing the agreement will help to ensure that the building design, floor plan and tenant selection meet the city’s long-term economic development goals.”
The Solano Town Center mall has its own, more recent history – including a $20 million renovation in 2006 and the later addition of a food court.
Other shopping areas in Vacaville include Nut Tree Village and the Vacaville Premium Outlets. Nut Tree Village is at the home of the old Nut Tree restaurant, which before its closing was for decades was a prime dining stop for to Sacramento and Tahoe.
Here is information on some of the area’s major shopping destinations:
Solano Town Center
1350 Travis Blvd., Fairfield
425-1164
www.solanotowncenter.com
Nut Tree Village
1681 E. Monte Vista Ave., Vacaville
447-6000
www.nuttreeusa.com/#/Hompage
Vacaville Premium Outlets
321 Nut Tree Road
447-5755
www.premiumoutlets.com
Downtown Fairfield
FAIRFIELD MAIN STREET ASSOCIATION
1000 Webster Street, First Floor, Suite A | Fairfield, California 94533
707.422.0103 t | 707.428.3005 f
www.fairfieldmainstreet.com
Downtown Suisun City
Main Street
Suisun City Waterfront Improvement District
www.suisunwaterfront.com
Downtown Vacaville
Main Street and Merchant Street area
Downtown Vacaville Improvement District
451-2100
www.downtownvacaville.com
Reach Jess Sullivan at 427-6919 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jsullivandr.
