PARMA, Ohio -- Mayor Tim DeGeeter's 7-year-old son, Jack, kicked off the Tuesday re-opening of Dick's Sporting Goods, one of four anchor stores at the redeveloped Shoppes at Parma.
Jack ripped down the "coming soon" sign, which was replaced by a "now open" one.
"It's great to see things taking shape across the street at the Shoppes at Parma," DeGeeter said. "The new Dick's store is bigger and better, and I'm sure Dick's fans will be very pleased with the improvements."
The $75 million transformation of the 58-year-old Parmatown is underway, with a completion date of late 2016. Initial anchors will be the larger Dick's Sporting Goods, the Walmart that will be expanded into a SuperCenter that offers groceries, the JC Penny's and the Marc's discount store.
Dick's, which replaced Macy's, closed its doors at the old location, directly behind the new spot, and re-opened the same evening.
Re-opening festivities are scheduled for 10 a.m. Sunday. Shoppers will have the chance to win prizes and a local radio station will broadcast from the site, said Ben Shank, a community-marketing manager for Dick's.
Shank said the new store spans more than 50,000 square feet.
"We decided to relocate within the Shoppes at Parma because the renovation of the shopping center will be a major upgrade and will offer our customers a better shopping experience," Shank said. "We're excited about all that is going on at the mall."
DeGeeter said the store increased its work force by 50 percent, calling it "good news for the city."
Heidi Gates, one of the Parma store managers, said the store has about 60 employees for the re-opening rush.
"I have a feeling it's going to be crazy like Black Friday," she said. "We're in a great new location with a mall entrance. We're all really excited about all of the renovations."
The Dick's mall corridor has a new roof and floor, sprucing up the interior of the old Parmatown Mall.
Many of the storefronts inside the mall are vacant, but interior renovations are still to come. Construction of Panera Bread is underway, and the eatery is expected to open next month.
The Shoppes project started in 2013, after Parma City Council approved an agreement with Phillips Edison & Co. Phillips Edison must make at least $56 million in improvements to the property by May 2017. In exchange, the company is exempt from paying property taxes on the increased value for 30 years.
DeGeeter also put together a Town Center Task Force to create a plan for a city center based around Ridge Road and West Ridgewood Drive that features the renovated Shoppes at Parma, the Parma branch of the Cuyahoga Community Library, City Hall, Byers Field and University Hospitals Parma Medical Center.
"It's exciting to see the Shoppes at Parma becoming more of a reality," DeGeeter said. "I am looking forward to what is still to come."
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