Armani Asks: ‘Where’s Spokane?’

As area shoppers converge on the Spokane Valley Mall they will find many familiar stores.

But as they journey through the new mall, they also might miss something.

Looking for The Gap? Eddie Bauer? Structure? The Limited?

They are not at the Valley Mall, though all of those retailers already have a presence at NorthTown Mall.

That has surprised some people.

“I was told all along The Gap and Limited would be there,” says de Rika owner Michele Dirks, who is opening her third Spokane location in the Valley Mall.

Despite the mall’s fresh appeal, The Gap isn’t yet willing to locate there.

“In some areas we don’t want stores so close together,” says Debbie Gardner, a spokeswoman for The Gap. “We can’t put a store everywhere, even in some great locations. There’s just not a perfect fit for us.”

The same is true for Eddie Bauer, which has a store in NorthTown Mall and is building another downtown. Currently, no Eddie Bauer is planned for the Valley Mall.

The Limited operates several stores at NorthTown, and is opening a Victoria’s Secret and Bath and Body Works in the Valley Mall. But its most popular stores: Structure, Express, and Abercrombie and Fitch won’t be there. Officials from The Limited declined to comment.

Valley Mall officials won’t say why these stores aren’t there, or if they will be. But shoppers will still be happy, they say.

“You’ll find an adequate selection of what you want to buy in the mall,” says Rex Frazier, president of J.P. Realty, the mall’s developer. “Cus tomers will be pleased with the environment and the mix.”

Still, many stores common in Seattle and San Francisco haven’t found their way into the Spokane mix.

Williams-Sonoma is an example. The upscale home furnishing retailer has stores in several midsize regional malls.

Before opening a store in a mall, Williams-Sonoma studies area demographics and considers the surrounding retail tenants.

The problem is, the Valley doesn’t have the retail climate in which Williams-Sonoma would flourish.

“Upscale is not Staples or Ross Dress-for-Less or Petco or Wal-Mart,” says Suzan McKay, a spokeswoman for Williams-Sonoma.

Ritzier retailers, such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Georgio Armani, also explain why they are not coming to the new Valley Mall.

Saks currently has a store in Portland and an outlet center in Seattle, but so far, Spokane hasn’t made the cut.

Saks has looked at the Spokane area, but the city just isn’t ready yet - even for an outlet store, said a Saks Fifth Avenue executive who asked for anonymity.

Upscale retailers just can’t cater to Inland Northwest residents, who typically aren’t that style-conscious, the employee said.

Indeed, a 1991 survey conducted by the Lifestyle Market Analyst revealed that less than 10 percent of Spokane residents listed fashion and clothing as main areas of interest.

The reason Armani isn’t opening in the Valley Mall is pretty simple.

“Spokane?” asked Linda Gaunt of Armani in New York.

“Where’s Spokane?”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo