TIRED of driving to
Beginning this fall, you won't have to.
Cafaro Co., which recently finished remodeling its Spotsylvania Towne Centre, is leasing space to those companies and more in the Village at Towne Center, the mall's soon-to-open outdoor lifestyle center.
"What we're trying to do here is create a gathering place for people in the area where they can shop and dine in a one-stop kind of place," said Assistant Vice President Gary Geramita. "We're offering unique products not in the market right now, including higher-end specialty stores."
Tenants in the 295,000-square-foot Village at Towne Center will begin opening in November, and the complex will celebrate its grand opening early next year. Features will include a Residence Inn , Muvico's 14-screen Paragon Theater and
"One of the big things we're looking at is Saxon Shoes," said Geramita "It would be their first store outside of Richmond."
Cafaro also has lined up Roanoke-based Finks Jewelers, which carries such brands as Cartier, David Yurman and Mikimoto.
Other retailers onboard include: an Aveda Salon, Cache , J. Crew, Lucky Brand Jeans, Select Comfort and Sephora.
"We are also in various stages of negotiation with
The Village at Towne Center also will have a Firebirds Rocky Mountain Grill, a Colorado-themed restaurant with a Southwestern ambience offering steaks, chops, rotisserie chicken, seafood and sandwiches. Currently, the closest is in Short Pump Town Center in Richmond.
Other restaurants will include Bravo! Cucina Italiana, which its Web site describes as "a fun, white-tablecloth casual eatery offering great Italian food under a Roman ruin decor."
Owned by the same chain that operates Brio Tuscan Grille and Bon Vie Bistro, it will be the third location in the state. The other two are in Arlington and Virginia Beach.
Cafaro also has signed up Bluepoint, which specializes in seafood, steaks and its signature martinis; and The Pub, which will have a bar imported from England.
Another new business, Teavana, often described as a Starbucks for tea lovers, is coming in to the mall near Club Libby Lu. The chain sells loose-leaf tea, tea-based drinks, and tea-related merchandise and accessories, and music.
Geramita said he wasn't worried about launching the Village at Towne Centre during today's soft economy because of the synergy that will develop between the mall, the lifestyle center, Central Park and new offerings such as Wegmans and Kalahari that are coming to Celebrate Virginia South.
"When both projects are done, there will be approximately 5 million square feet of retail space on both sides of the street," he said. "It's a unique environment from an economic standpoint. People are already traveling to Richmond and D.C. to get some of this type of experience. Hopefully, we'll be giving them an alternative."
Cathy Jett: 540/374-5407
Email: cjett@freelancestar.com