Once the spot for back-to-school shopping and weekend hangouts, malls in Orange County are now swapping their nearly empty shops with apartments and entertainment centers.
MainPlace Mall in Santa Ana is an example of a transformation that experts say malls are undergoing. Over the past few years, the mall has been transforming into a mixed-use destination where people shop, dine and even live with other malls following suit.
Thursday, the sound of an excavator echoed through what’s left of the Orange Mall. The mall shut down a year ago and now just two structures remain: the crumbling shell of JCPenney and an empty Sears…