The grand entry of the Valley Plaza Mall in Bakersfield hasn't changed much since it opened in 1967 as a 900,000-square-foot single-story shopping mecca in the Central Valley.

Patrons walk one of the main concourses at the Valley Plaza mall in Bakersfield, Calif., on June 27, 2025. The popular mall has recently been the subject of a petition to ban unaccompanied teens.