Economic development continues to evolve in the city of Turlock, with some high-profile business closures and some recent business openings.
The arrival of a Chick-fil-A franchise coming to town sometime in 2025 has generated the most buzz, but there’s more than just chicken sandwiches on the horizon.
Slated to do business in the original Big Lots! location — at 3101 Geer Rd. in the Valley View Plaza — is discount grocer Grocery Outlet. It will be the second Grocery Outlet in town, joining the original that currently does business at 1330 W. Main St.
For fitness buffs, Curl Fitness is coming to fill the vacancy that was created when the original In-Shape Fitness facility on Geer Road closed its doors in 2020.
Happy Claw — an arcade featuring a multitude of mechanical claw games — recently opened in the Hawkeye Shopping Center on the corner of Hawkeye Avenue and Golden State Boulevard.
Burlington (formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory) is also on its way to town, taking over the space most recently occupied by Big Lots! — located next to Walmart on Fulkerth Road — that shut its doors this past summer. Headquartered in New Jersey, Burlington has more than 1,000 stores in 40 states across the nation.
More than just coats, Burlington features a wide array of clothing and accessories, such as shoes, makeup, lingerie and home goods.
Southern California-based Curl Fitness has locations in Arroyo Grande, Diamond Bar, Newport Beach, Riverside, Westminster and Yorba Linda, with new locations also coming to Costa Mesa, Irvine and Ocean Ranch. Turlock will be Curl’s initial foray into Northern California.
On the way out is Party City, located at 3015 N. Tegner Rd.
Party City’s corporate office announced earlier this month that it will be closing all its locations.
Additionally, the A&W/KFC restaurant, 2705 W. Monte Vista Ave., announced this month it too would be closing, citing the loss of its lease.
There still remains one KFC restaurant in town, at 400 N. Golden State Blvd., but fans of A&W will now have to travel to Oakdale or Merced to get their root beer fix.
California Burritos is also new to Turlock, taking over the old Burger King location at 1610 W. Main St., leaving one Burger King restaurant in town on Geer Road. The Turlock location is the 18th in California, with the others centered in Sacramento, West Sacramento, Pittsburg, Vacaville, Antioch, Fairfield, Dixon, Sonora and Lodi.
In addition to burritos, California Burritos features tacos, chimichangas, tostadas, enchiladas, tortas, nachos, quesadillas, desserts and breakfast selections.
