The opening of the long-awaited Nordstrom store in the Cherry Creek mall may be delayed until 2007, but shoppers would be rewarded for their wait with a larger store.
Seattle-based Nordstrom is considering an expansion of the former Lord & Taylor location on the mall’s west side. The proposed expansion on the north side of the store would increase its size from 120,000 to 160,000 square feet, said Nick LeMasters, general manager of the Cherry Creek mall.
“We’re delighted that they’re pursuing this,” LeMasters said.
Nordstrom spokeswoman Brooke White said there is no definite plan, but the company “is investigating the possibility of having a larger store.”
Nordstrom in March said it had struck a deal to take over the Lord & Taylor site. The deal was welcome news to shoppers, who had long complained that the tony shopping center’s main fault was its lack of a Nordstrom.
The company aimed to open the store – its third in the metro area – next Sept. 22. The planned expansion will probably push the opening back to sometime in 2007, LeMasters said.
The expansion, which would require city approval, would take over a parking lot on the store’s north side, and the mall must work to ensure that it is still providing enough parking to satisfy city requirements, LeMasters said.
He is confident that the mall will be able to meet those requirements.
The space that Nordstrom will occupy is already the mall’s second-largest anchor space following Foley’s, which is 180,000 square feet. Both Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue are 80,000 square feet.
At 160,000 square feet, an expanded Cherry Creek Nordstrom store would still be the smallest of the company’s three Denver-area stores. The Park Meadows store is 245,000 square feet and Flatiron Crossing’s is 172,000 square feet.
“Nordstrom figured they had a window of opportunity … even if that means delaying it a bit,” LeMasters said. “They can make it work at 120,000 square feet, but they can make it work really well at 160,000 square feet.”
Staff writer Kristi Arellano can be reached at 303-820-1902 or karellano@denverpost.com.
