Nordstrom Rack in, Regal 5 drops curtain

Davis’ newest theater, Regal Cinemas 5, closed without warning on Thursday.

A note on the door says, “Thank you! It has been our pleasure to serve you at this theatre. Regal Davis is now closed. We invite you to visit Regal Davis Holiday or any of our other area locations.”

The theater was at 420 G St. The compact cinema had stadium seating and smaller screens than the older Regal Davis Holiday 6 at 101 F St., which will remain open. It was unusual to have three movie theaters (including the independent Varsity Theatre) in our small town, and all downtown, but we seemed to support it. That is, until the pandemic.

In January, the company announced it was closing 39 more theaters after an earlier round that closed a dozen others. I checked the closure lists both times, and Davis was never included. The move follows parent company Cineworld’s filing of Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The building is owned by the Yackzan Group of Davis.

The other big news of the week is that Nordstrom Rack is coming to Davis. A recent new release from Nordstrom announced that a 25,000 square-foot store will be part of The Davis Collection, the redeveloped version of what is now University Mall. It says it plans to open in spring 2025.

This news came as tip from subscriber Kate Bowen. The press release posted on the Nordstrom website is dated April 13. The company didn’t bother to send it this way. The release also announced upcoming stores in Elk Grove, Gilroy, Oceanside and San Mateo.

Bowen “was just reading (and mourning) the pending closure of the Nordstrom in downtown San Francisco, when I stumbled upon this tidbit,” she said. (She and her husband Bob, former public relations manager for the city of Davis, are big San Francisco Giants fans, and frequently travel to the city for games).

I shared the Nordstrom Rack news on the Comings & Goings Facebook page, and it was picked up by other news outlets before it officially made it into this weekly column.

The release included a statement from the mall’s owner and redeveloper, Brixmor Property Group. Bill Brown, executive vice president of its development and redevelopment division, said, “Nordstrom Rack is a key addition to the redevelopment of The Davis Collection, adding highly desired off-price retail.

(It) is known for exceptional quality, selection and customer service, and appeals to the Davis community we serve.”

The news release continued, “Nordstrom Rack is the off-price retail division of Nordstrom Inc. and plays a critical role in the company’s Closer to You strategy, which focuses on delivering customers a more convenient and interconnected experience across its stores and digital platforms.

(It) offers customers up to 70 percent off on-trend apparel, accessories, beauty, home and shoes from many of the top brands sold at Nordstrom stores, as well as core services like online order pickup for Nord strom.com and NordstromRack. com, easy returns, and altera tions at select stores. Rack customers to complete, Nordstrom 68 23 strom asos businesses shortened their hours in the last week, opting to open after sunrise and close before dark. The Davis Farmers Market chose not to have a Wednesday market. I expect business hours will revert to normal following Thursday’s news of a suspect’s arrest in connection with three brutal stabbings in Davis. We’re all breathing a little easier.

Bull ’N Mouth, the American restaurant coming to the former De Vere’s pub site at 217 E St., is still on track to open this spring.

On Thursday, I heard from CEO Brandon Keith. “We are hoping to open in the coming weeks, and are currently in the hiring process. Once we get our team onboarded and trained, we will be opening our doors.”

I did not hear back this week from Mamma, the Italian restaurant and market coming to the former Bistro 33 site at 226 F St., but its status is similar, if not slightly ahead of Bull ’N Mouth.

A GameStop is coming back to Davis. This one will be in Second Street Crossing, the center anchored by Target. The address is 4625 Second St., Suite 120. but halted by pandemic financial constraints. Kalisky started a GoFundMe, asking the community to help fund the patio project. That way, once the insurance money comes in for the damage, the storefront will be protected from a similar incident.

As of Thursday afternoon, more than 290 people had donated more than $17,000 combined. To view the GoFundMe, visit: https://gf.me/ v/c/dd6b/upper-crust-bakingsafe-outdoor-patio

A spokeswoman for Wayback Burgers said Thursday that the restaurant’s opening date has been pushed to late this year. However, no exact timeline has been set.

The restaurant is at 640 W. Covell Blvd., Suite A in Anderson Plaza. That date could be optimistic.

Casablanca closed at the end of March. Ibrahim Zabad, one of the owners, said kabobs are less labor intensive than the Mediterranean and Moroccan cuisine they previously served.

Upper Crust Baking was temporarily closed in Davis after an SUV crashed through its front windows on April 30. The crash not only damaged the store, it sent four people to the hospital with minor injuries. The bakery, at 634 G St., reopened on Sunday.

“This accident underscored the need to build the patio as quickly as possible,” owner Lorin Kalisky said. “Having the patio will significantly reduce the risk of an accident like this ever happening again – with a barrier of heavy concrete planters, and by keeping humans away from the direct path of parking cars."

Plans for the patio were already designed and approved,

The burger joint is coming to 1351 W. Covell Blvd., Suite A, in The Marketplace.

No word back from Orangetheory Fitness, taking over the former Round Table Pizza space in South Davis, or Estelle Bakery & Pâtisserie, filling the former Konditorei space. It’s not for lack of trying.

Before messaging me about the status of an ongoing project, please review my paywall-free Google spreadsheet, which includes more than 325 Davis businesses. It’s at https://bit.ly/ DavisBusinesses. The most active tabs are Restaurants Open, Restaurants Closed and Coming Soon.

— Wendy Weitzel is a Davis writer and editor. Her column runs on Sundays. Check for frequent updates on her Comings & Goings Facebook and Instagram accounts. If you know of a business coming or going in the area, email news tips to wendyedit@ gmail.com