The dollar store on Lake Forest Drive and the pool-supply shop on Mercury Road closed because of company-wide decisions that covered dozens or hundreds of stores at once. The CVS at Hunter Court is also gone. The decisions behind those closures were made at company headquarters, far from Lake Forest.
The businesses moving into those spaces chose Lake Forest specifically. That pattern explains most of what changed between late September and mid-October 2026, and it shows which parts of a weekly errand loop have moved and which haven't.
The four-week swap
| Address | What was there | What's there now | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22631 Lake Forest Dr., Lake Forest Town Center | 99 Cents Only | Fresh Choice Marketplace | Opened Oct. 13, 2026 |
| 24372 Rockfield Blvd., Hunter Court | CVS | Burlington | Opened Sept. 25, 2026 |
| 23778 Mercury Rd. | Leslie's pool supply | Closed | Announced Oct. 6, 2026 |
| 26602 Towne Centre Dr., Foothill Ranch Towne Centre | Movie theater | Costco, under construction | Target: summer 2027 |
The first three rows happened within about three weeks of each other. The fourth row is what's coming next.
The departures came from far away
The old 99 Cents Only space on Lake Forest Drive has been empty since the whole chain shut down. In April 2024, the Associated Press reported that 99 Cents Only Stores would close all 371 of its outlets. The Lake Forest store wasn't closed for its own sales. It closed because the company ended.
Leslie's followed the same pattern this month. Patch reported on Oct. 6 that the Phoenix-based pool retailer is closing 13 stores in Southern California, including 23778 Mercury Rd. in Lake Forest and a store in Tustin. Those closures are part of 76 shutdowns nationwide tied to a bankruptcy restructuring. The Lake Forest store page on Leslie's own site now shows a store closure notice saying the location "is now closed."
Coffee runs are changing in the same way. The same week Burlington opened, the Orange County Register reported that the Starbucks at Plaza de las Flores, at Oso and Antonio Parkways in Rancho Santa Margarita, was among 250 closures Starbucks announced nationwide. Each of these businesses is shrinking on a map that covers far more than South County, and Lake Forest addresses happened to be on the list.
The arrivals chose Lake Forest on purpose
The businesses filling those spaces are adding locations, which makes the turnover easier to read. When a company with one store opens a second, it has picked that specific city.
Fresh Choice Marketplace, 22631 Lake Forest Dr.
This is the largest change for a weekly grocery run. Patch reported that Fresh Choice Marketplace opened Tuesday, Oct. 13. It sells international groceries, breads and desserts baked in-house, a large produce section and fresh halal meals. The Register's Oct. 19 Status Update places it in Lake Forest Town Center, in the space the 99 Cents Only store left behind.
It's a small, two-store grocer. The Register notes the grocer's other store is at 440 South Anaheim Hills Road. The Fresh Choice website lists both stores with the same hours, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day, and posts the weekly ad there. A store with one other location chose Lake Forest Drive for its second.
There's also a place to eat inside. Sababa Falafel Shop Restaurant runs in-house at the marketplace. The company menu lists Mediterranean-style bowls with falafel, chicken or ribeye, plus pita sandwiches with chicken or falafel. Hours for the restaurant counter can differ from the store's, so check before planning a late lunch around it.
Burlington, 24372 Rockfield Blvd.
Burlington opened Sept. 25 at Hunter Court Shopping Center, according to the Register. It took over the space of a closed CVS drugstore. Patch describes the store as selling housewares, apparel and more, and points to the Lake Forest store page for hours.
The swap changes what kind of stop Rockfield Blvd. is. A drugstore was a quick in-and-out errand. A discount housewares and apparel store is where people go to browse, and the parking lot at Hunter Court will probably feel that difference as the holiday season gets closer.
The gap nobody is filling yet
One of the four closures doesn't have a replacement. For homeowners with a backyard pool, the Mercury Road closure means a longer drive for chemicals and supplies. Leslie's lists its Mission Viejo store at 24011 Marguerite Parkway, Suite E as an active location with posted hours. That page's "nearby locations" box still shows Lake Forest, but the Lake Forest page itself confirms the store has closed.
Fresh Choice filled the 99 Cents Only space and Burlington filled the CVS space. The Mercury Road space hasn't had an announced tenant yet.
The one stop that stayed put
Among all this turnover, the Wednesday farmers market hasn't changed. The City of Lake Forest lists the Lake Forest Certified Farmers Market on Wednesdays from 4 to 8 p.m., "pending weather conditions," in the roundabout at Lake Forest Sports Park and Recreation Center, 28000 Rancho Pkwy. The California Department of Food and Agriculture's market list, dated Oct. 1, 2026, shows it running year-round.
The City doesn't run it. The market is part of My OC Certified Farmers Markets, whose certified markets are hosted by McGlynn Events, Inc. The operator describes the Lake Forest market as a mix of fruit and vegetable growers, crafts and street food.
The weather caveat applies. Rain canceled the Oct. 21 market, and the City announced a return to the normal schedule on Wednesday, Oct. 28, from 4 to 8 p.m. On a gray Wednesday this winter, the quickest way to check is the Sports Park front desk at (949) 273-6960.
So the new Fresh Choice on Lake Forest Drive is open daily until 8 p.m., and the year-round market at the Sports Park runs Wednesdays until 8 p.m. Between them, Lake Forest now has more fresh-food options in the evening than it did a month ago.
The next arrival is already under construction
The biggest arrival is still ahead. The City's October 2026 economic development newsletter says the Costco at the former movie theater site, 26602 Towne Centre Dr., will be an approximately 165,000-square-foot warehouse. The Planning Commission approved it on Feb. 5, 2026, the site is under construction, and the store is expected to open in summer 2027. The same newsletter says Foothill Ranch Towne Centre's other businesses stay open throughout construction.
Costco fits the same pattern as Fresh Choice and Burlington. A theater closed, and a retailer adding locations chose to build in Lake Forest. By summer 2027, two vacated store spaces and a former theater site will have been taken over by companies that decided to open here.
Storefront turnover affects more than errands. The businesses around a neighborhood are part of what buyers weigh when they look at a home there. If you're thinking about what your home is worth in a Lake Forest that now includes Fresh Choice, Burlington and a Costco on the way, The Harter Group can walk you through it. Request your free home valuation, and we'll take these local changes into account when we prepare it.
