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A demolition crew has gutted most of the old Fry’s Electronics building in Serra Mesa to make way for a new apartment complex.

A City of San Diego spokeswoman said the property owners for the site applied for a permit to build a 310-unit apartment complex. NBC 7 contacted the current property owners to see if there is a timeline for demolition and construction but were unable to reach them during the holidays.

Fry’s closed in February 2021 as another victim of the pandemic and evolving consumerism. Nevertheless, the store was a beacon to tech geeks and electronics fans for decades.

“I’ve been in this building dozens of times in my life,” said NBC 7 Chief Photographer Scott Baird.

Baird remembered when the building first opened in the 1990s as Incredible Universe.

“It was like a big deal in San Diego,” Baird said. “You remember where you were when Horton Plaza opened and where this was when it opened.”

The parking lot was fenced in shortly after the store closed in February 2021. Baird flew DroneRanger 7 over the demolition on Tuesday.

“They’re making big piles of stuff into smaller piles of stuff inside so they can probably truck it out of here,” Baird said.

“We do this story 12 times a week,” explained Baird, the veteran journalist. “There’s not enough housing and there’s not enough places to live.”

Despite a coming boost in the minimum wage, lower-paid workers still worry about being able to make ends meet while local restaurants fret that higher labor costs could make it more expensive to dine out.

Originally Published: December 31, 2024 at 6:00 AM PST