Snohomish County Business Journal


YOUR COUNTY.	YOUR BUSINESS JOURNAL.

Published November 2004

Alderwood:
The Place to Be

Snohomish County Business Journal/ JOHN WOLCOTT
The interior of Alderwood underwent a top-to-bottom renovation during the past two years that included a softer color scheme as well as cozy sitting areas and family-friendly bathrooms.

A two-year, $50 million expansion project
has turned the Lynnwood mall into a regional
destination for shopping and entertainment

By John Wolcott
SCBJ Editor

Between Nov. 4 and 7, following two years of intensive construction and an estimated $50 million investment, Alderwood will grandly celebrate a massive expansion project that makes the giant mall as much a tourism destination as a shopping center.

The changes will make the mall a destination to take out-of-town houseguests, a favorite spot for business luncheon meetings, a book lover’s paradise, an entertainment center for children and a source for upscale clothing as well as the latest fad styles for teens.

Opening festivities

The opening of the expanded Alderwood shopping center Nov. 4 through 7 may be just another opportunity to buy, buy, buy for many people, but the mall’s management team has planned an event that will be talked about for years to come.

Roving jugglers will entertain children beginning at 8 a.m. Nov. 4 as crowds gather for refreshments at the giant indoor-outdoor fireplace in The Terraces Food Court on the south side of the mall. Inside the mall, at 9 a.m., live entertainers will perform on stage until 9:45 a.m. when a “spectacular” unveiling ceremony is planned.

At 10 a.m., the doors of Bon-Macy’s will open for crowds streaming from the mall to The Village on the east side of the mall, a “townscape” of new, upscale shops and restaurants, including REI, Borders Books and P.F. Chang’s China Bistro.

The first 2,500 shoppers through Macy’s doors will receive complimentary gift bags, courtesy of Alderwood merchants.

The event also will launch the holiday shopping season at Alderwood. Throughout the weekend, shoppers will be entertained with live music, strolling musicians, retailer product demonstrations and a sampling of the menus of Alderwood’s new restaurants.

“We’ve already gotten very, very positive comments from customers who have watched the construction. People are really looking forward to using The Village and The Terraces — plus we’ve made improvements in the entire mall, too,” said Senior General Manager Jerry Alder. “Our customers have been very resilient, putting up with blocked roads, construction equipment and alternative entrances and exits that changed almost daily with the construction progress.”

Since 2002, contractors have added nearly 50 new stores, bringing the mall’s total to 200, and 35 of them will be opening Nov. 4 through 7. Together, they broaden the variety of Alderwood’s merchandise and create an environment where shopping can be an adventure, even a lifestyle — with enough time and money.

“With the new convention center opening soon in Lynnwood, we will become much more of a tourism attraction, too,” Alder said.

The total expansion and remodeling project involved nearly 270,000 square feet of contemporary retail, restaurant and entertainment venues, including an 80,000-square-foot, four-story, 16-screen theater with stadium seating, opening next spring with seating for 3,800 people. The completed mall encompasses 1.4 million square feet, including a new, larger, 144,000-square-foot Nordstrom store that opened in September 2003.

Over the past two years of construction and remodeling, the mall itself underwent a top-to-bottom renovation that created increased comfort for shoppers, including a softer color scheme, adding couches, chairs and fireplaces throughout the interior and two new restrooms that include family areas, changing stations and nursing rooms.

Ruby’s Diner opened at the food court. Brookstone opened a new store, as did Aeropostale and Build-A-Bear Workshop, Limited Too, Payless Shoe Source, Cache and New Balance. Other tenants that remodeled included a Mariners Team Store, Motherhood Maternity, Games Workshop, That Kitchen Shop, EB Games, Kits Camera’s, Victoria’s Secret and Victoria’s Secret Beauty.

In addition, the 35 stores that will open Nov. 4 and later in the month include Apple Computer, Borders Books, Claim Jumper restaurant and McGrath’s Fish House, REI, Eddie Bauer, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Sharper Image, T-Mobile, The Walking Co. and Pottery Barn (see the full store list here).

After the expansion...

The Alderwood expansion has changed the giant regional shopping mall’s statistical profile, as seen in these numbers that reflect the changes at the retail center:

n 1.4 million square feet of destination shopping and dining.

n 6.5 million pounds of structural and reinforcing steel used in new construction.

n 10 percent increase in size of new Nordstrom store over previous location.

n 16 screens in Loews’ new stadium-seating style theater (opening spring 2005).

n 30 percent increase in total square footage of new stores and restaurants.

n 50 new stores and restaurants added through the expansion.

n 150 workers on site daily during the two years of construction.

n 200 total retail stores, restaurants and other businesses at Alderwood.

n 1,500 new full- and part-time jobs added by new retailers and restaurants.

n 1,500 spaces in new parking structures, plus additional covered theater parking for 400 vehicles on the first floor.

n 24,000 square feet added in construction of The Terraces at Alderwood.

Many of the new stores were previously found only in Seattle or Bellevue. Now they’re easily available to Snohomish County residents. While competing malls, such as Bellevue Square and University Village, have some of Alderwood’s new features, they don’t have all of them, Alder said, including fireplaces, fountains and casual furniture for weary shoppers. There’s also both indoor and outdoor shopping areas and extensive landscaping that gives the mall a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Even before entering the mall, the changes are noticeable in the two, new multi-tiered garages adjacent to Nordstrom and J.C. Penney that offer covered parking areas and an additional 1,500 parking spaces at the mall for a total of 6,800 spaces.

The Terraces area features a lounge area adjacent to the indoor-outdoor fireplace that faces the new Starbucks store on the outside of the mall. The area also has retractable glass doors that open the way onto The Terraces. They will be left open during warmer seasons to eliminate barriers between the inside and outside of the mall.

At The Village, the townlike shopping environment will be filled with outdoor events and room for shoppers to relax and dine during warmer seasons. Several of the restaurants have outdoor patio areas, as well as Borders Books, to enhance a relaxed shopping environment.

“Alderwood represents an entirely new kind of lifestyle experience for the communities we serve,” Alder said, noting that plans for the mall’s expansion and remodeling were guided by customer suggestions and market research.

“Our goal is to provide our customers with a shopping environment that reflects what they want, in a setting they will enjoy,” he said.

Related: Alderwood's new retailers

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