JCPenney, the oldest anchor store at the Westminster Mall, is closing by November.
The company sent notice to the state’s Employment Development Department indicating the store would be open through Nov. 16 and permanently closed by Nov. 21, a week before Thanksgiving. Shoppers also told the Register that “store closing” signs already dot the entryways.
All 76 employees will lose their jobs in Westminster, unless they find similar roles at other JCPenney stores, according to the a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification written by Margaret Braun, a lawyer for JCPenney.
“Based on business needs and associates’ interests, it is anticipated that a few associates may be offered employment in other JCPenney locations,” the letter states.
In another letter sent to store employees, the company wrote that JCPenney leadership “will look to determine what jobs, if any, might be available at other JCPenney locations.”
“Closing the store was a difficult decision. We thank you for the time and effort you have dedicated to JCPenney,” the letter continues.
The JCPenney in Westminster opened in 1993, taking the place of a Robinson-May store. Once it closes, there will be just two JCPenneys in Orange County, one at the Brea Mall and the other at MainPlace Mall in Santa Ana. A shuttered JCPenney at the Village at Orange shopping mall in Orange was bulldozed in April.
The retailer operates 62 stores today in California.
One of the mall’s primary owners, Washington Prime Group or WPG, put its stake in the 51-year-old property up for sale earlier this year, according to multiple commercial real estate industry news sites. Irvine-based Shopoff Realty also owns a portion of the mall, where it planned to redevelop a section into outdoor retail, office space and apartments.
JCPenney filed for bankruptcy protection in 2020. Earlier this year, the chain with hundreds of locations nationwide merged with Sparc Group, the operator of Eddie Bauer and Aéropostale, creating a company called Catalyst Brands.
Goodwill OC expands in Costa Mesa
Goodwill of Orange County opened its newest thrift store Friday, Aug. 22 in Costa Mesa, taking over a former Ace Hardware store on Harbor Boulevard.
It’s the second Goodwill store for the city. The nonprofit also operates a thrift at 620 W. 19th St. and a drop-off center at the OC Fair & Event Center.
The 9,700-square-foot store also includes a donation center on the left side of the building.
Store hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Donation center hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday–Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Goodwill OC operates 24 thrift stores and donation sites in Orange County, including five OC Goodwill Boutiques and its online store ShopGoodwill.com
Address: 2666 Harbor Blvd.
Chocolate Bash honored by SBA
Chocolate Bash, founded by Rasha Al Basha, celebrated a new milestone this summer after it was named the 2025 Woman-Owned Business of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Al Basha launched Chocolate Bash in 2015 in Newport Beach, serving waffles and crepes topped with chocolate, cookie butter or pistachio spreads. The menu of goodies today now offers milkshakes, matcha drinks, Dubai chocolate bars and custom desserts.
“Within two months of opening our first location, we had people lined up out the door all the way to the street, all without spending a penny on advertising,” Al Basha said in a statement provided by the Orange County/Inland Empire district of the SBA.
The chocolate shop, with 20 locations in California, Arizona and Qatar, blends Middle Eastern dessert traditions with American and European flavors. Its next locations are coming to Dubai, Ohio and Texas.
For more, go to chocolatebash.com
On the move
Lena Garvey is the new energy compliance and contracts analyst at the Orange County Power Authority, a not-for-profit energy provider. She most recently was risk management and contracts analyst at San Jose Clean Energy, a Community Choice Aggregator in Northern California.
Retirement
Santa Ana Police Department last week wished a happy retirement to K-9 officer Kaylee. The canine cop served for 7 and a half years. The department said she was “trading in her police unit rides for full-time family life at home.”
Good works
The Collaborative to End Human Trafficking announced its first round of grant awards, a combined $87,000 going to five local organizations working to end human trafficking in Orange County. Recipients included International Sanctuary ($15,000), The Salvation Army Orange County ($20,000), Radiant Futures ($20,000), EverFree ($20,000), I-5 Freedom Network ($12,000). “We’re proud to support the vital work happening across our community,” added Carey Clawson, CEHT co-founder and board member. “At the same time, the overwhelming response of more than double the number of grant requests than we could fund demonstrates the urgent need for greater investment to prevent and end human trafficking in our county.” The grants were issued through Orange County United Way.
The fifth annual Festival of Chefs for KidWorks held July 27 raised $900,000 for the 30-year-old Santa Ana-based nonprofit. The event at Newport Beach Country Club featured culinary treats from more than 60 local restaurants and food service providers. KidWorks provides students in under-resourced neighborhoods in central Santa Ana with programs and experiences to become leaders both inand out of the classroom. Almost $5 million has been raised for KidWorks students and programs since the festival fundraisers launched in 2021. For more information, go to kidworksoc.org.
Status Update is compiled and written by Business Editor Samantha Gowen. Submit items and high-resolution photos to sgowen@scng.com. Allow at least one week for publication. Items are edited for length and clarity.