Thirty years ago this spring, ground broke on what was billed as a game changing “lifestyle’ center for Manteca.
The Promenade Shops at Orchard Valley opened with Bass Pro Shops and then — in quick succession — came the 16 screen cinema, JC Penney, Best Buy, and a handful of in-line stores.
And while that first wave is largely intact today — Best Buy is Valley Fitness today — most of the in-line store space stayed vacant for more than two decades.
As far as eight free-standing pads approved in development plans primarily for future restaurants, they have remained vacant or covered over for parking.
Today— after Stockton-based Grupe Huber acquired the property in 2024 and immediately started refreshing it — Orchard Valley is starting to live up to its “lifestyle center’ potential.
Among the new concerns in the queue to open locations at the Union Road and 120 Bypass complex are Cajun Crack’n seafood and Flip Flop Shops.
The Cajun style restaurant — think lobster tail, Dungeness crab, king crab legs, shrimp, and more — will join eight other dining options grouped together on Lifestyle Street by Bass Pro Shops and AMC 16.
Billed as the “premier beach and relaxation footwear retailer”, Flip Flop Shops exclusively sells flip flops, sandals, and casual footwear along with accessories.
While Cajun Crack’n adds to existing restaurants and Flip Flop Shops expands options for clothing and footwear at Orchard Valley, the big new trend at the lifestyle center is health and fitness.
The Valley Fitness health club was joined last year by the Sutter Health medical offices as well as SonDance studio and recently by Tone Reformer Pilates.
Hotworx — a 24 hour fitness studio — has been added to the mix as well.
Kumon has also leased space for its after school math and reading tutoring programs.
In addition, IKEA has opened a design center.
What makes Orchard
Valley unique in region
The way Orchard Valley was designed makes the setting unique for the Northern San Joaquin Valley.
Storefronts aren’t orientated toward a major road or a massive parking lot.
Instead, the in-line store space facing each other was built along a street in a bid to emulate the feel of an old-school Main Street.
The idea was to create walkable space offering dining, shopping, and entertainment. If you think it sounds like what Manteca is hoping to create downtown, it is.
Adding in the programming of various activities including plans for a future kids’ water play feature takes a page from the indoor mall playbook.
The big difference is it is an outdoor center designed to take advantage of the valley’s Mediterranean climate and lifestyle.
Overall Manteca dining
and shopping notes
*No less than 14 new dining, coffee, and sweets options have opened citywide in Manteca during the past sixth months ranging from Gold Dust Pizza at Louise and Cottage to Bella Mangiata on Yosemite near Union to Crumbl in the Manteca Crossings complex at Airport and Atherton.
*There are at least five others, including a sweets shop bakery in downtown on Maple Avenue, physically working toward opening.
*It should be noted Bass Pro, when they initially announced in 2005 that they were coming to Manteca, toyed with the idea of building the store with their Islamorada Fish Company restaurant attached.
The restaurant serves seafood and steak in a dining area accented by large aquariums. It never made it, though, into the final plans as Bass Pro brass were not sure the market at the time could support such a restaurant.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
