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It has been over a week since the Palisades and Eaton fires erupted in Los Angeles, burning more than 37,000 acres and 17,000 structures, and claiming the lives of at least 24 people. In the wake of the devastation from the 2025 L.A. wildfires, closures across the county are rampant -- including in Malibu, where the city's commerce and community hub, Malibu Country Mart, has yet to fully reopen.

Malibu Country Mart shuttered for the second time in a month due to wildfire, on Jan. 7 as the Palisades fire spread up the coast. Four weeks earlier, the shopping center halted operations due to the Franklin fire, which burned 4,037 acres in Malibu over nine days, originating in Malibu Creek State Park. That disaster forced the mall to close Dec. 10 through 13, right in the prime of holiday shopping season.

Retailers have been hit hard by the closures. "Revenue has been severely impacted," Lyndie Benson, founder of the Malibu-based apparel brand Bleusalt, told WWD of the Malibu Country Mart store. "The fire before Christmas caused an additional week of closures during peak shopping season."

"We are a collection of businesses, many of them small local businesses," Mike Feigen, director of marketing for Malibu Country Mart told WWD. "We're thinking a lot about them right now because they don't have the foot traffic today that they usually do. It's tough to be a small business right now in the areas impacted."

Malibu Country Mart opened in 1975 at Cross Creek Road and Pacific Coast Highway, across the street from Malibu Lagoon State Beach. Over the past five decades the outdoor shopping center with a Hollywood clientele and a small town feel has been a beacon to developers who have replicated the model elsewhere in California and beyond, and an attractive destination for brands. The nearly 90,000 square foot mall with a range of stores from luxury retailers Maxfield and Chrome Hearts to small businesses Crown, Sunroom, and Nomad, and chains such as James Perse, Vince, Vuori, Faherty, Oliver Peoples, and Gorjana, offers plenty of outdoor space and attracts a mix of tourists and deep-pocketed locals such as Miley Cyrus, Cindy Crawford, Halle Berry, Gisele Bundchen, and Kate Hudson.

The success of Malibu Country Mart has led to a boom in developments around Malibu, including neighboring Malibu Village Mall stacked with local retailers like Wittmore, Sephora and Lululemon, and The Ranch at Cross Creek, which has 30 more retail spaces -- including Frankies Bikinis which opened its doors in August.

In recent years, leases have been hard to come by but with the ever-present threat of natural disasters, the retail landscape in Malibu could be vulnerable.

Currently, 21 retail shops at Malibu Country Mart have reopened out of 53, including L'Agence, M. Frederic, Magnolia Pearl, Sunroom, and Nomad -- with visitors able to access the mall through Kanan Road, as the Pacific Coast Highway stretch from Santa Monica remains sealed off. Other shops remain without gas service, and some remain closed including Paige, Gorjana, and Vuori.

When they will reopen -- and when Malibu Country Mart will fully return -- remains a question mark. "There's a lot of work that still has to be done in terms of the cleanup effort," Feigen said, adding, "We want to be very cautious in trying to welcome everyone back all at once, and make sure that we're doing it in a way that doesn't get in the way of the recovery effort."

For Gorjana, there is no rush to return. "The safety and well-being of our employees, customers, and the residents of L.A. remain our top priority," a representative for Gorjana told WWD. "We will remain closed until it is safe for our community to come back into our store."

A representative for Paige echoed that sentiment, telling WWD, "Our hearts are with everyone affected by the fires, and we remain focused on the safety and well-being of our community and team. Due to the ongoing situation, our Paige Malibu Country Mart store will remain temporarily closed as we prioritize the safety of our employees and customers. We are closely monitoring updates and will reopen as soon as it is safe to do so."

Likewise a representative for Vuori told WWD, "With our top priority being the safety of our employees and store visitors, we made the swift decision to close our Malibu location on Tuesday, Jan. 7. While we are thankful that our store was not directly impacted by the fires, given the situation and destruction across Malibu, we won't reopen the store until we are confident it is safe to do so."

Many businesses have reopened as repurposed donation distribution centers. At Malibu Country Mart, M. Frederic reopened and has been collecting donations for those affected by the fires, which will be on display for families to pull from, as well as distributing care packages that include a sweat set, a blanket, and a wrap by Lovestitch. Bleusalt has also opened its doors to those affected by the fires, "providing lightly worn clothing to those in need."

Vince, which is open again at Malibu Country Mart, has been using its storefront to distribute essentials to those affected by the fires. "We are incredibly fortunate that our teams and their families are safe," a representative for Vince told WWD, adding, "L.A. is where we call home and we are deeply saddened by the devastating impact the fires have had and are continuing our efforts to support our community, including providing essential toiletry packages for those in need at our Malibu location."

While Paige has not yet reopened at Malibu Country Mart, the denim brand is catering to those affected by the fires at its other brick-and-mortar locations, offering half-off on any new product in addition to two free items. The brand has also donated 10,000 clothing items to donation sites around the city.

"We are incredibly proud of our employees from our Malibu and Palisades Paige locations who have stepped up to support donation efforts and assist at our open stores in Santa Monica, The Grove, and Manhattan Beach," a representative for Paige told WWD. "Our team is working around the clock to continue these efforts and ensure we can support as many people as possible in Los Angeles during this difficult time. We're grateful for our team's dedication and extend our deepest gratitude to the first responders working tirelessly to protect our neighborhoods. We'll continue to share updates as we navigate this unprecedented time together."

L'Agence is also offering new items to those affected by the wildfires in L.A. The denim and beyond brand is providing essential clothing items at its Beverly Hills and Fashion Island stores -- or through a form online for those unable to visit either location.

Gorjana has donated to local wildfire relief funds. "To support recovery efforts for the devastating fires in our L.A. community, we are making a $100,000 donation to three organizations making a direct impact -- the L.A. Fire Department Foundation, Baby2Baby and Pepperdine University," a representative for the brand told WWD.

The community spirit and feel is one of the reasons Gorjana settled on Malibu Country Mart as a location. "Malibu Country Mart is a beautiful and vibrant, seaside retail district where we all share a strong sense of community," a representative for the brand told WWD. "And it's in times like these where you really see the strength and spirit of Malibu shine the brightest, reminding us all why this place is so special."

Vuori shared that feeling. "Malibu was one of the first stores we opened as a brand and was driven by its welcoming and community-orientated environment," a representative told WWD. "And while it may take some time, we have unwavering belief in Malibu coming back stronger than ever."

There's historical precedent for that, too. "The Malibu Country Mart is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year," Feigen said, adding, "The Malibu Country Mart has been through a lot of fires. It has been through a lot of changes to the landscape, and we intend on being that town square of Malibu that we've always been -- we're excited to welcome everyone back when the time is right."