As developers move forward with plans to double the size of , the mixed-use venue is reaching capacity.
The newest store, Claire’s, will fill the second to last retail spot. According to Steve Rubin, chief operating officer of development firm Stark Enterprises, there is only one small space left on Main Street.
“Everything else is spoken for,” he said, adding that developers are in talks to fill the 15,000 square foot area.
In the past few months, Anthropologie, , BCBG, Bath & Body Works and LOFT by Ann Taylor have all announced plans to open at Crocker Park. Several are open already.
“We’ve been very fortunate to retain most tenants," Rubin said. "Those that have left for bankruptcy have been replaced with stores that are big improvements.”
All of the office space in the center is leased, as are the residential spots. Rubin says the center’s success took careful planning and vision from the very beginning.
“Crocker Park is not and never was intended to be a shopping center,” he said. “It’s a live-work-play environment with retail, office and residential all integrated. Lots of places have two of those, but not all three.”
Developers also have a unique and strategic approach to attracting retail, he said.
“We spend a great deal of time on the merchandising and cross-pollinating," Rubin said. "We’ll look at an area and say ‘These are the tenants we want and here’s what will go with them.’ We don’t just take whoever wants to go here and put them there for the highest rent.”
