Home Depot plans to open a smaller version of its home-improvement store with a 1950s look in Lakewood, the city said Tuesday.
Home Depot declined to comment on the project, which the city said will be a national prototype.
The store will be at 7200 W. Colfax Ave., just east of Wadsworth Boulevard. It will be across the street from a new Super Wal-Mart, which also has a retro feel and is part of Lakewood’s urban renewal plan to revitalize the West Colfax corridor.
“The whole purpose of urban renewal is to spark private development – and this is another spark,” said Frank Gray, Lakewood’s director of community planning and development.
Home Depot has a contract to purchase about 9.5 acres, including 6 acres owned by the city.
Lakewood has asked Home Depot to give the store a retro ’50s design so it fits in with other redevelopment plans.
The average Home Depot store is 107,000 square feet, according to the company. No details were available on the size of the proposed Lakewood store.
A smaller-format Home Depot would be appealing to many, said Wendy Liebmann, president of WSL Strategic Retail in New York.
“Consumers are looking for what I call an easy shop – a more edited, faster shopping experience,” she said. “They want options.”
At the end of 2004, Atlanta-based Home Depot had 1,657 stores nationwide, including more than 30 Colorado outlets.
Staff writer Julie Dunn can be reached at 303-820-1592 or jdunn@denverpost.com.
