Sunday, July 22, 2007
What's next for the District at Valley View?
Jenny Kincaid Boone
Jenny reports on the latest news on the Roanoke Valley retail industry.
Recent stories
Tan banners announcing the District at Valley View are flying high, and buildings are complete, shaping this outdoor retail center beside Valley View Mall in Roanoke.
But it's still unclear what will come to the remainder of this shopping area, touted as an upscale lifestyle center. Panera Bread and Barnes & Noble opened last week, with Panera taking up 4,800 square feet and Barnes & Noble filling 27,175 square feet that's also part of the enclosed mall.
Both Carrabba's Italian Grill and Abuelo's Mexican Food Embassy opened at the end of last year.
CBL & Associates Properties, the Chattanooga, Tenn.-based company that owns Valley View Mall, said last year that this entire development would measure 76,000 square feet.
And based on a Roanoke Times estimate, there's still 29,649 square feet left to fill.
Valley View and CBL management have been tight-lipped about what might be coming there and if any more retailers are planned at all. A CBL spokeswoman, Deborah Gibb, has not returned repeated calls and emails for comment about the retail development in the last several months.
In April 2006, when the District formally was announced, a CBL representative said it would include some retailers who are not in Roanoke. Tenants in other CBL lifestyle centers nationally include Chico's, Coldwater Creek and Liz Claiborne Shoes.
Horizons Home Decor
Christie and Steve Howes opened a division of a wholesale home furnishings and decor supply company in Fincastle last year, and they've recently created a retail outlet for the products at Valley View Mall.
The Howes are heading up the U.S. division of a Canadian company called Horizons Home Decor. It manufactures home decor and small furniture products, primarily from Southeast Asia.
Their retail location at Valley View is called Horizons, and it has taken over the former space of Blue Ridge Outdoors, beside Old Navy.
Horizons tries to open retail stores near its warehouses. But it also supplies about 3,000 retail stores nationwide, said Christie Howes, a native of Canada.
For more information, visit www.horizonshomedecor.com.
Green retail
Organic sundresses for $59. Organic toy lambs for $26 each. Retail is turning green.
A price comparison Web site, pricegrabber.com, has a new section that's debuting eco-friendly selections from retailers nationwide. It's called ShopGreen, and it is accessible through PriceGrabber's Web site.
On the site, you'll find apparel, such as women's hemp shirts made by Patagonia. There are recycled office accessories, including desk pads. And the lineup of eco-toys and items for children includes organic swaddling blankets and books about saving the Earth.
Stein Mart
Want an early start on shopping at Stein Mart's new location at Tanglewood Mall?
The retailer is offering customers who pay $10 each a chance to shop for two hours inside the department store's new spot at Tanglewood Mall in Roanoke County. The pre-shopping event will take place on Aug. 14, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Aug. 16 is Stein Mart's official opening day at its new store. It will close down its current store location on Aug. 11 to prepare for its move to a spot beside Staples at Tanglewood.
The $10 tickets aren't just money in Stein Mart's pocket. Proceeds will benefit an April 16 memorial scholarship fund created by the Roanoke Valley chapter of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association.
To order tickets, visit www.roanokehokies.org or call 904-4231.
