LOS ANGELES-Retailer Barneys New York has chosen the Grove, Rick Caruso's 575,000-sf retail and entertainment venue, as the location for a new 9,200-sf store that will be among the largest of the retailer's stores and one of only two freestanding Barneys Co-Op locations in California. The Co-Op stores carry the latest styles and newest designers in men's and women's clothing and accessories.
The new Barneys New York Co-Op is slated to open in March 2007 on Bow Street at the Grove, across from the Whisper Lounge and an outdoor dining area. Construction on the two-level store will begin this fall following the relocation of Amadeus Spa and Tracy Allen Jewelers within the Grove.
Howard Socol, the chairman and CEO of Barneys, says that the company chose the Grove for its new store because L.A. is "an important fashion market" and the Caruso shopping venue is an ideal location within the market. Caruso says that the addition of the first free-standing Barneys New York Co-Op in Los Angeles continues the Grove's strategy of continually refining the retail lineup and amenities at the open air center.
Caruso's company, Caruso Affiliated, recently remodeled and expanded the valet parking area. In addition to more space and staff, it added a waiting area that resembles the lobby of a hotel more than a parking garage, with sofas, rugs, floor lamps, and gold drapes lining the arrival.
Other changes in the retail mix have included the addition of a Palm Pilot store and a Michael Stars women's boutique, plus an American Girl Place that is the only American Girl location on the West Coast. American Girl took the 25,000-sf former FAO Schwarz space and 15,000 sf of additional space to create a 40,000-sf store.
The Grove, which connects to the historic Farmers Market in Los Angeles at Third Street and Fairfax Avenue, drew more than 18 million visitors last year. Caruso Affiliated recently broke ground on its latest addition, the $264-million Americana at Brand in Glendale, which will comprise 475,000 sf of retail, 238 apartments and 100 condominiums on a 15.5-acre site.
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