Six new stores coming to Christiana Mall this year

A slate of new stores is coming to Christiana Mall later this year, while several existing retailers will be getting a facelift.

Mall officials this week announced the signing of clothiers Eddie Bauer and Villa, cosmetics stores Deja Vu BioXAge and Kiehls, and the grooming retailer The Art of Shaving.

Those stores will join previously announced newcomer Fabletics, the active wear line launched by actress Kate Hudson. The brand's Delaware location will be one of five stores opening this year in shopping centers owned by Illinois-based General Growth Properties.

"We're always trying to get the stores we think will be the most popular with our customers," said mall general manager Steven Chambliss.

"That's the joy of our business," he said. "We're always trying to keep up with the freshest trends, newest brands and hottest labels."

In addition to the new stores, several existing tenants at Christiana Mall also are renovating their retail spaces or moving to new locations.

Designer brand clothing retailer Michael Kors is expanding, while jewelry shop Pandora and the novelty/apparel store Spencer's Gifts are remodeling. Meanwhile, Dairy Queen, Build-A-Bear Workshop and AT&T are moving to a new location.

The recently announced changes come on the heels of Christiana Mall adding new tenants earlier this summer, including Chipotle Mexican Grill and Garage, a trendy fashion store for teen girls. Kay Jewelers this month also opened a newly renovated store at its long-standing location.

"These changes are all part of the normal retail cycle," Chambliss said. "Our leases usually last five or 10 years and at that time, we make decisions about what stores will make the most viable tenants and appeal to our customers needs."

The coming changes at the mall will coincide with the opening of the first phase of the nearby Christiana Fashion Center this fall.

That 200,000-square-foot shopping center at Interstate 95 and Del. 1 has focused on signing tenants coming to Delaware for the first time.

So far, four retailers have signed leases at Christiana Fashion Center, including Recreational Equipment Inc., better known as REI, The Container Store, Nordstrom Rack and Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th.

"This isn't about competing with them at all," Chambliss said. "We feel we're offering significantly different shopping categories."

All the recent and future additions, relocations and renovations at Christiana Mall are detailed below:

Coming soon

• Eddie Bauer will open a 3,800-square-foot store this fall in the malls' Nordstrom wing. The Washington State-based retailer of clothing, footwear, gear and accessories will fill a portion of the retail space previously occupied by women's fashion store Coldwater Creek. The new store will be the second Delaware location for Eddie Bauer, which also has a store at the Tanger Outlets in Rehoboth Beach.

• Villa will open a 3,842-square-foot store between Target and Macy's in the fall. The Philadelphia-based clothing retailer offers a social empowerment component with Join The Movement, the company's mission to revitalize urban communities and support educational opportunities through scholarships. The new store will fill a space vacated by Guess. The chain currently has four Delaware locations, including three in New Castle County.

• BioXAge, a brand of the Deja Vu cosmetics company based in Warminster, Pennsylvania, will open a 1,469-square-foot store this winter in the current location of Build-A-Bear Workshop between Target and JCPenny. The company has some existing stores, but the Christiana Mall shop is believed to be the line's first store in Delaware.

• Cosmetics chain Kiehls will open a 925-square-foot store next month in a portion of the retail space formerly occupied by women's swimsuit retailer Everything But Water. Owned by L'Oréal, the line is currently sold at Nordstrom, but the New York City-based company does not have any stores in Delaware.

• The Art of Shaving will open a 585-square-foot store next month in the other half of the retail space that was Everything But Water. The 19-year-old company specializes in grooming products and shaving instruments. The brand is sold at Nordstrom, online and at 140 locations in the U.S. The new Christiana Mall store will be the chain's first Delaware location.

• Fabletics previously announced plans to open a 2,200-square-foot store in the mall's Nordstrom wing on Sept. 24. The new store will sell active wear for women and men next to Eddie Bauer, in a portion of the space once occupied by Coldwater Creek.

New arrivals

• Chipotle Mexican Grill, one of the nation's fastest growing restaurant chains, opened a new 645-square-foot location in the former Taco Bell location in the mall's food court on July 6. The Christian location is the Denver-based company's fourth restaurant in Delaware.

• Garage, a Canadian-based clothing retailer targeting the girls and teens, opened a 3,800-square-foot store just outside the food court in June. The store occupies a portion of the space that previously held dELiA's, a retailer aimed at a similar market.

Relocations

• Dairy Queen will be moving this fall from its current location to a 579-square-foot space in the food court that previously housed a Paciugo Gelato Caffé.

• Build-A-Bear Workshop will be moving a few stores down next month to a 2,345-square-foot space formerly occupied by PS From Aéropostale.

• AT&T will be moving its retail store to a 4,500-square-foot space between Target and JCPenny that until recently held the sit-down restaurant Ruby Tuesday.

Remodeling

• Kay Jewelers opened a newly renovated 1,784-square foot store in July.

• Micheal Kors, a designer brand store that sells clothing, handbags, shoes and accessories, will re-open late this year in a newly expanded 2,255-square-foot store that adds on space once held by dELiA's.

• The jewelry store Pandora is remodeling its existing location and will re-open the 1,050-square-foot store next month.

• Spencer's is remodeling its existing location and will re-open the 2,138-square-foot-store this fall.

Contact Scott Goss at (302) 324-2281, sgoss@delawareonline.com or on Twitter @ScottGossDel.