OPENINGS AROUND THE SOUND
A look at the area's new stores
Posted November 2007
Swedish clothier H&M, noted for high style at low prices, will enter the Seattle-area market with a two-story, 18,000-square-foot store in University Village with an opening expected in the fall of 2008.
H&M carries clothing for men, women and children that is fashionable and reasonably priced. Its marketing strategy is to appeal to customers who have a strong sense of fashion, without targeting customers by age or size.
Eco-conscious consumers will enjoy distinctive H&M organic hang tags on trendy clothing made of organic cotton and other fibers.
The chain typically has several locations in a market, making it likely that H&M will add locations in the Puget Sound region. Malls on the Eastside, in downtown Seattle and south of Seattle are reportedly negotiating with H&M, partly because H&M brings a new clientele to the retail malls.
Looking for affordable casual and sports clothing for the whole family? Something that even picky teens will wear? Visit Steve & Barry’s new 78,000 sq. ft. store in Everett Mall.
Among its lines are star and celebrity designs, such as The Starbury Collection basketball sneakers for $14.98 endorsed by Staphon Marbury of the New York Knicks. Ben Wallace of the Chicago Bulls plans to launch a new basketball shoe and clothing line in October, called The Big Ben Wallace Collection… all affordable!
Venus Williams, a tennis star, has a line called “EleVen” with 120 pieces and every item priced under $20. Sarah Jessica Parker’s line of BITTEN high-quality affordable clothing is exclusive to Steve & Barry’s. The store carries other star or celebrity lines, as well as many top American licensed brands.
Steve & Barry’s is a New York company that is growing fast. It also has stores in Auburn, Olympia and Spokane.
This fall, El Gaucho plans to open its third Seattle-area steakhouse in City Center Plaza, Bellevue. This is not your grandfather's steakhouse — it will have a nostalgic piano bar in a 1950s “retro-swank” atmosphere. It will be the only high-end restaurant in City Center Plaza.
El Gaucho has restaurants in Seattle and Tacoma, as well as Portland. El Gaucho features 28-Day Dry-Aged Certified Angus Beef, extensive wine lists and lavish tableside preparations in a sophisticated atmosphere. It will seat 125 diners in the 12,000-square-foot luxurious restaurant and another 90 on the patio and in the lounge. There will be six intimate private dining rooms. Mackay Restaurants is the owner.
The Bellevue El Gaucho has 26-foot ceilings, a mezzanine and a patio that set it apart from the cozy atmosphere of its siblings in Belltown, Tacoma and Portland. In a departure from the other dinner-only El Gaucho locations, the Bellevue restaurant will also serve lunch and happy hour.
This year is the tenth anniversary of Paul Mackay’s re-opening of El Gaucho in Belltown, the first of the Mackay El Gaucho restaurants.
Lululemon is planning a December 13 grand opening evening soirée for its new store in University Village.
Lululemon is a yoga-inspired athletic clothing company that was founded in Vancouver, B.C. in 1988 by Chip Wilson, founder of Westbeach Sports. Lululemon has stores and manufacturing facilities in several countries. It designs and manufactures its own branded apparel.
The designs are functional and use specialty fabrics. For example, the store sells different fabrics and styles for different styles of yoga. Low impact yoga requires warm and stretch garments that don’t bag. For beat-based practices the clothing is light-weight. For power yoga, Lycra and nylon are used for stretch and movement. The objective is for the apparel to be stylish, comfortable, fun and practical.
Lululemon opened a store in Bellevue two years ago. The Greenlake showroom is closed during the transition to the new University Village store.