GLP-1 Treatments, Semaglutide or Tirzepatide Medical Weight Loss in La Mesa, CA

In the last few years, La Mesa has gotten new coffee shops, an artisanal cheese shop, and even an outpost of the number one restaurant of 2020 (according to Yelp). Now, the quaint East County hamlet is getting even more delicious with its very own Stella Jean’s and Pop Pie Co., which will open side-by-side this summer.

Located at 8247 La Mesa Blvd. (Pop Pie Co.) and 8243 La Mesa Blvd. (Stella Jean’s), the two spaces span approximately 1,300 square feet each, replacing Village Pet Salon and Act II, which moved a few blocks down the street in 2024. Real estate brokerage firm Location Matters handled the deal, which will be Stella Jean’s ninth location and Pop Pie’s seventh.

Founder and CEO Steven Torres says both locations will offer the same ice cream and pie menus as its other locations, as well as a full coffee bar in Pop Pie.

Torres says his team has been looking for locations in La Mesa for several years, and hadn’t been able to find the right spaces for both concepts until now. “We just want to build community out there—be where people want us, and also where we really see opportunity to do what we do.”

And there’s certainly opportunity—right now, you can count the number of dedicated ice cream shops in La Mesa city limits on one hand. (There are quite a few frozen yogurt shops, as well as places that serve ice cream or gelato, but very few legit scoop shops.) And while Torres says Pop Pie’s somewhat niche menu doesn’t quite fit everywhere, their slow and strategic growth strategy over the past 10 years has given them confidence to know where its globally-inspired flavors will work.

“There’s been so many more [locations] that we’ve said no to, just because it has to feel right [and] you have to be wanted,” he says. He’s confident that La Mesa is ready. “We’re super excited about it.” and open in La Mesa this summer at 8247 La Mesa Blvd. and 8243 La Mesa Blvd.

Listen Now: The Latest in San Diego’s Food and Drink Scene

Have breaking news, exciting scoops, or great stories about new San Diego restaurants or the city’s food scene? Send your pitches to .

Macy’s plans to shutter 14 locations nationwide, including two in California, in the coming months.

In California, the La Mesa and Tracy locations are slated for closure. Clearance sales will begin in mid-January and run for about 10 weeks, a Macy’s spokesperson said.

Closures also are planned for 12 stores across Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington.

“Closing a store is never easy, and we don’t take these decisions lightly — but this focus enables us to deliver a stronger, more consistent Macy’s experience over the long term,” spokesperson Orlando Veras said in an emailed statement.

The company previously announced plans to close 150 stores by 2027. Last month, it reported having a better-than-expected quarter, including its strongest comparable sales growth in three years.

The department store chain’s chief executive, Tony Spring, wrote in a statement Thursday that the company’s decision to close “underproductive stores” is part of a broader strategy to focus on “reimagining” its stronger stores and updating its supply chain.

The closures also will enable Macy’s to focus on expanding its luxury business, Spring said. The upscale department store Bloomingdale’s is a subsidiary of Macy’s and performed well during the most recent fiscal quarter.

There are 424 Macy’s locations, according to the company’s store count.

In February 2024, Macy’s announced plans to shrink its physical footprint by 30% by 2027.

It announced the first 66 closures, including the downtown Los Angeles location, early last year. Before that, Macy’s closed its outlets in Simi Valley and Baldwin Hills and laid off 3.5% of its workforce.

Macy’s isn’t the only retailer shedding brick-and-mortar locations.

Supermarket operator Kroger, the parent company of Ralphs and Food 4 Less, last year decided to close more than 60 stores nationwide amid labor unrest and a failed merger with Albertsons.

Home goods retailer At Home closed 26 stores nationwide, including eight in California, as it declared bankruptcy.

Marshalls closed two locations in California this month.