This Saturday, Oct. 31, the City of San Fernando's monthly Shop & Stroll comes to the San Fernando Mall and Maclay Avenue as a Halloween edition with trick-or-treating. The city's new Shop Local Rewards pilot launches the same day. Both programs point at the businesses that already have an address on San Fernando Road or Maclay. Downtown's Saturday calendar now belongs to the city, and the main event happens at the storefront door.
That is a real change from the Saturdays this stretch of San Fernando Road was known for over the past five years. The reasons it changed also explain what you will find downtown between now and February.
The market that filled the street, and why it stopped
The San Fernando Outdoor Market started in summer 2020, during the pandemic. The San Fernando Mall Association, a volunteer group of downtown merchants, built it to bring people back to the Mall. At its peak it ran once a month, nine times a year. According to the San Fernando Valley Sun, the association used the market's revenue to pay for downtown projects and events.
The format had friction built in. In May 2025, the Sun reported that the City Council agreed to co-sponsor one more market, with changes. Merchants had raised concerns about blocked storefronts, parking, sidewalk access and food trucks. For that event the city waived about $4,064 in permit fees, and the association was to cover about $7,660 in staff overtime.
Later in 2025 the city withdrew its sponsorship and asked the association to pay for city services such as security. An association leader told the Sun that this made the market financially unfeasible, so the association canceled it. In November 2025 the council ended the city's agreement with the Mall Association, which dated to 1984. No market has taken its place on the street in 2026.
A sale that starts at the shop door
The city filled that gap with something smaller and closer to the storefronts. Its calendar calls Shop & Stroll "a new monthly sidewalk sale happening one Saturday each month, rain or shine." Local businesses set up outside their own doors. The first one ran Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and admission is free.
The sale covers more ground than the Mall alone:
- San Fernando Mall: San Fernando Road from Chatsworth Drive to San Fernando Mission Boulevard
- Maclay Avenue: from San Fernando Road to 4th Street
The two stretches meet at the corner of San Fernando Road and Maclay, so one walk takes in both. Because the merchants set up outside their own shops, the day is about what those shops sell, and most stay open all day. The city's October newsletter describes the Halloween edition as trick-or-treating "along Maclay Avenue and San Fernando Road." Businesses could sign up through a QR code to welcome families at their doors.
Five percent back, from the same storefronts
The Shop Local Rewards pilot pushes the same idea further. The city says it launches Saturday, Oct. 31, and gives customers 5% cash back at participating San Fernando businesses. The pilot runs through Jan. 31, 2027. After that the city will review participation, business sign-up and how much the program actually changed where people shopped, then decide whether to continue, expand or adjust it.
The city has not yet published how customers enroll or which businesses are taking part. The newsletter says "more details on how to participate coming soon." On the business side, the city's Love San Fernando page has a sign-up form for merchants who want to join local events and rewards. Under the pilot's own timeline, the November and December sales both fall inside the cash-back window. The Jan. 16 sale is the last one before it closes.
Council members are also looking at how to promote the district. The Oct. 5, 2026 council agenda included a proposal from Councilmember Sean Rivas to put $2,500 in Area B funds toward a "Shop San Fernando Pilot Project." The money would pay for outreach, promotional materials and activities that highlight Area B businesses.
Who is behind those doors
A sidewalk sale depends on the shops along the route. The Mall's lineup reflects decades of a downtown known for formalwear, furniture and family restaurants:
- Bridal City, 908 San Fernando Road, with posted hours and appointments
- Bodevi Wine and Espresso Bar, 909 San Fernando Road, which takes online orders
- Fiesta Furniture, 1004 San Fernando Road
- Los Tres Hermanos, 1049 San Fernando Road, which takes reservations and online orders
- Toque Nuevo Beauty Salon, 1111 San Fernando Road
- Jim's Western Wear, 1123 San Fernando Road, with appointment services
The newest addition is just off the Mall. Dog Haus opened March 11 at 1003 San Fernando Road in San Fernando Plaza, the Los Angeles Daily News reported. On Maclay, Tommy's Famous Drive-Thru serves burgers.
The Mall also lost a business this year. The Midnight Hour Records closed its Mall shop on Aug. 24, after six years. The shop doubled as a concert venue and gallery space. It packed up with plans to open a new location in North Hollywood in September, according to the San Fernando Valley Sun.
The calendar through February
The city has posted Shop & Stroll dates into 2027. Two of the coming dates fall on Saturdays shaped by the holidays.
| Date | Event | Hours | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Shop & Stroll: Halloween Edition, plus Shop Local Rewards launch | 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. | San Fernando Mall and Maclay Avenue |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Shop & Stroll, the Saturday after Thanksgiving | 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. | San Fernando Mall and Maclay Avenue |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Downtown Holiday Tree Lighting | 5 to 9 p.m. | Downtown San Fernando |
| Sat., Dec. 26 | Shop & Stroll, the day after Christmas | 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. | San Fernando Mall and Maclay Avenue |
| Sat., Jan. 16, 2027 | Shop & Stroll | 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. | San Fernando Mall and Maclay Avenue |
| Sat., Feb. 20, 2027 | Shop & Stroll | 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. | San Fernando Mall and Maclay Avenue |
The tree lighting is the season's main evening event downtown. The city lists Santa photos, performances, a workshop and local vendors.
Lights and meters the district already paid for
Some of the money behind downtown's look comes from its own merchants. More than 200 businesses in a designated area along and near the Mall pay an assessment based on a percentage of gross receipts, capped at $500 a year, into a downtown fund. That fund grew to about $240,000 in reserve. In October 2025 the council voted to spend about $200,000 of it on holiday lighting along the Mall, meant to stay up year-round. The Sun reported in January that the lights went in before the 2025 holidays. Councilmember Mary Solorio told the paper that some of them stopped working soon after and pointed to the electrical infrastructure as the cause.
Parking has also changed. In March 2025 the city replaced 72 meters along San Fernando Road between Kalisher Street and Brand Boulevard with smart meters that take coins and cards, without adding any spaces.
The talks about the Mall's future are also happening inside its shops. The city's Meet & Greet series invites business owners in Area B of the Mall to talk with rotating members of the council. The 2026 sessions were held at Los Tres Hermanos on May 27 and Fiesta Furniture on Aug. 26. The next one was scheduled for Oct. 28 at Toque Nuevo Beauty Salon, with Councilmembers Mary Mendoza and Mary Solorio listed to attend. The next Shop & Stroll after Halloween is Saturday, Nov. 28.
For owners of a storefront building on San Fernando Road or a home within walking distance of Maclay Avenue, a busier downtown can affect leasing, presentation and the long-term value of the property. Brandolino Group can go through what the Mall's new calendar means for your property. Our San Fernando neighborhood page is a good place to start, and you can Contact Us whenever you are ready.
