The 10 million dollar SOUTHGATE CENTER encompassed around 340,000 leasable square feet and contained thirty-eight stores and services. It was anchored by the city's second Rhodes store (the first being located at COUNTRY CLUB CENTRE). In 1965, the parking area at SOUTHGATE could  accommodate 4,500 autos at one time.

SOUTHGATE CENTER TENANTS 1962:

RHODES (with Beauty Salon) / LUCKY STORES supermarket / S.H. KRESS 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / J.C. PENNEY (dry goods only) / Arden's / Career Girl ladies' wear / College-Hi young men's wear / Connell's Shoe Repair / Corfee Cleaners / Dobbert Beauty Shop / Eagleson's men's wear / Farmer & Merchant's Bank / Firestone Tire & Auto (outparcel) / Flagg Brothers Shoes / Foreman & Clark apparel / Gallenkamp Shoes / Green & Heyden Shoes / Hartfield's ladies' wear / Hart's restaurant / House of Fabrics / Jay-Vee Shops ladies' wear / Karmelkorn / Kay Jewelers / Kid-E-Korral children's wear / Kirby Shoes / Leed's Qualicraft Shoes / Marlene's ladies' wear / Martin's Cake Box bakery / McCurry Photo & Gifts / National Shirt Shops / Roos-Atkins men's wear / Sacramento Electric Company home appliances / See's Candies / Singer Sewing Center / Southgate Barber Shop / Southgate Beauty Shop / Southgate Record Shop / Thrifty Drugs / West Coast Savings & Loan Association / Zim's Restaurant (outparcel) 

SOUTHGATE took a direct hit from a newer, bigger -and fully-enclosed- mall. It opened on a site less than a mile away. Because of FLORIN CENTER, SOUTHGATE was relegated to secondary status. Big time tenants either closed or moved out, leaving the complex in a downward spiral. As a result, its open mallway was never enclosed and climate-controlled.
Drawing from Blumenfeld Enterprises

The shopping hub was revived in the mid-1980s. New stores were built (in light gray) and existing structures refurbished. The repositioned mall took on the name of an adjacent retail complex. It was known, henceforth, as SOUTHGATE PLAZA.