Party Time New Mall’s Anchor Stores Plan Opening Celebrations

The Spokane Valley Mall will hold two weeks of grand opening parties as its three anchor stores, movie theaters and the remainder of the mall enter the retail scene.

The three anchors - The Bon Marche, Sears and J.C. Penney - will celebrate grand openings between July 31 and Aug. 16. The mall is due to open Aug. 13.

The Bon Marche will be first. The 120,000-square-foot store will hold a soft opening, meaning the doors will be open but there will be no party, on July 25, reserving its grand opening for the 31st. The store will employ 120 people.

“The majority of our activities will be put around our grand opening,” said Gary Yiatchos, senior vice president of marketing for the Seattle-based retailer.

Yiatchos said in-store giveaways, cooking classes and special benefits to The Bon’s charge card customers would be included in the company’s celebration of its third Spokane-area store. The Bon’s other two stores are at NorthTown Mall and in downtown Spokane.

“We’re trying to use the entire market as a vehicle to celebrate the opening of our new store,” Yiatchos said.

J.C. Penney will open in three phases. The 125,000 square foot store’s beauty salon, with 15 hair styling stations, will open Sunday. The rest of the store will hold a soft opening Aug. 1 and a grand opening Aug. 6.

The retailer will employ 235 people. Of those, 70 are new hires.

The retailer will close its University City Shopping Center store July 26 and shift the employees to the new site, said John Meyers, assistant manager. The U-City store has been holding going out of business sales since early June. J.C. Penney also has stores at NorthTown Mall and Silver Lake Mall in Coeur d’Alene.

Meyers said J.C. Penney will celebrate its grand opening by giving away shopping sprees and a trip to Hawaii, along with other festivities.

Sears will hold a soft opening of its 134,000-square-foot store on Aug. 13, the date of the mall’s grand opening. Sears’ grand opening will be held Aug. 16. Sears also has stores at NorthTown Mall and Silver Lake Mall.

The 12-screen theater being built by ACT III of Portland also will open Aug. 13.

As for the remainder of the mall, 60 percent of tenant spaces will be occupied on opening day, said Richard Ryberg, project manager. The remaining 109,000 square feet of tenant spaces will be boarded over, and painted with colorful designs to fit in with the rest of the decor. Those spaces will continue to be leased over the next few years.

Ryberg said the major jobs that remain are finishing the mall’s elevator, painting parking spaces, landscaping and installing tables, chairs, signs, sculptures and other interior decor.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: VALLEY MALL TENANTS The following is a list of tenants who have leased space in the Spokane Valley Mall as of July 15. The mall is scheduled to open Aug. 13, with 60 percent of its space filled.

Anchors ACT III Theaters The Bon Marche JC Penney Sears

Clothing and shoes Athletic Fitters The Buckle Brauns Fashion Champs Sports Euro Comfort Famous Footwear Jay Jacobs Just Sports Footlocker Hamer’s Homestead Birkenstock Kids Footlocker Kinney Kids Lady Footlocker Lane Bryant Mariposa Mr. Rags Victoria’s Secret Zumiez

Jewelry Ben Bridge Jewelers Fred Meyer’s Jewelers Gordon’s Jewelers Kay Jewelers Zales

Music Musicland Sam Goody

Optical LensCrafters Vista Optical

Hair salons MasterCuts Regis Hairstylists

Specialty Bath & Body Works Card Farm Cartoon Classics Glennie’s Hallmark GNC Hi Tek Nails Hot Topic Kay Bee Toys Kiddie Kandids Kit’s Cameras Marketplace Gifts Pilgrim’s Nutrition Radio Shack Spencer Gifts Sunglass Hut Things Remembered Waldenbooks

Food All American Frozen Yoghurt Auntie Anne’s Pretzels Cinnabon Edo Japan Great Steak and Potato Co. Mario’s Pizza Orange Julius Quizno’s Subs Red Robin Surf City Squeeze Sweet Factory Thomas Hammer Coffee Co.

Other Tilt Trade Secret

Compiled by staff writers Sam Francis and Alison Boggs