Eddie Bauer returns

Specialty retailer Eddie Bauer is returning to the River Park Square location it vacated last summer when its parent company, Spiegel Inc., began restructuring under bankruptcy protection.

The new Eddie Bauer, scheduled to open at 710 W. Main on Wednesday, will be about half the size of its predecessor, operating only on the street level, instead of being spread over two floors. The 5,470-square-foot store will offer outdoor-inspired casual wear, outerwear, gadgets and travel accessories.

Lisa Erickson, a spokeswoman for the Redmond, Wash.-based chain, said the bankruptcy court gave Eddie Bauer permission to open new stores, despite Spiegel’s ongoing reorganization.

“It’s a great testament to the Eddie Bauer brand,” Erickson said. “The courts saw that we had a brand worth building upon. It was exciting for us to look at markets that we sadly had to vacate.”

When Eddie Bauer closed last July, it was identified as one of 60 “under-performing” stores that closed due to Spiegel’s bankruptcy reorganization. Spiegel Chief Financial Officer Jim Brewster said many of the stores were closed because the spaces were too big. Opening stores doesn’t require a lot of capital, but helps increase revenues, he said.

“The creditors want us to increase the profits of the business,” Brewster said.

Eddie Bauer’s new downtown location will not affect the retailer’s NorthTown Mall location or its Spokane Valley outlet.

The retailer’s return is the latest in a string of new businesses moving into River Park Square. Bob Smith, manager of the downtown shopping center, said the mall’s occupancy rate is 92 percent, the highest it’s been. With the arrival of Chrysalis Home Interiors in November, the lower level will be full, Smith said.

“We’ve enjoyed some real solid sales, and that word spreads,” Smith said. “We’re now getting referrals from merchants, who are telling other merchants they should take a hard look at it. (Reason) No. 2 is the downtown. The nightlife is certainly helping with our traffic.”

River Park Square announced in August that mid-year sales had risen 7 percent over 2003, hitting the highest mid-year mark on record. The downtown shopping mall is owned by companies affiliated with Cowles Publishing Co., which also owns The Spokesman-Review.

Chrysalis will move from the Spokane Valley Mall into a 3,000-square-foot space next to Rock City Grill in November, Smith said. Edo Japan is building out its space on the food court level, next to another new tenant, D’Lish’s Great Hamburgers, which will be next to Panda Express. Both Edo and D’Lish’s are likely to open next month.

The River Park Square location will be the second for D’Lish’s, which opened at 1625 N. Division in 1998. Owner Dave Lish said his oldest son is becoming more active in the business and thought it was time to expand. The restaurant, which specializes in hamburgers, fries and milkshakes, plans to hire about 10 people, he said.

“This is a simple operation,” Lish said. “We just want to serve really good burgers like we had when I was a kid.”

After D’Lish’s and Edo Japan move in, three food court spaces will be left. Smith said he has prospects for all of them, and for most of the remaining mall spaces. The mall likely will make more new tenant announcements before the end of the year, he said.