The Shops at Northfield retail center near Stapleton is pushing an entertainment and dining focus in the face of weak apparel sales.
Mall officials said the recent signing of the Toby Keith I Love This Bar and Grill to fill a vacant Borders Books site represents Northfield’s evolution toward entertainment-oriented retailers.
The shift marks a new focus for a center that had been anticipated as a retail centerpoint for the Stapleton neighborhood but which has disappointed some residents who say the retail mix doesn’t strike the right chord.
While Northfield hasn’t written off the conventional retail and apparel business, it acknowledges that those lines have been less successful.
“We’re not immune to what’s going on in the retail environment,” said Tom Gleason, Denver-based vice president for Forest City, developer of Northfield and the nearby Stapleton residential community.
Northfield officials said the center’s strongest performers include Bass Pro Shops, SuperTarget, the Harkins movie theater complex and several restaurants. Another large restaurant deal will be announced soon, and talks are underway with others, said Mary Beth Jenkins of The Laramie Co., Northfield’s leasing agent.
“For the deals we’re working on in the near future, there’s going to be a focus on entertainment,” she said. “It doesn’t mean that apparel doesn’t work, but the center is going to build on its strengths.”
While some apparel retailers have fared well — Northfield identifies youth-oriented Buckle as a prime example — “others are not doing well,” Gleason said.
Shops that have closed include American Eagle Outfitters, Ann Taylor Loft, Circuit City and Zales. Retail analysts said Northfield’s turnover has been typical for a 1.2 million-square-foot project.
The $200 million outdoor mall’s opening in 2005 was billed as a major retail amenity for the burgeoning Stapleton neighborhood on the other side of Interstate 70. Yet some Stapleton residents say Northfield has failed to meet expectations for an upscale retail center to serve the relatively affluent neighborhood.
“We were all thrilled with the idea of having a mall in close proximity,” said Stapleton resident Linda Pryor. “But it became clear from the beginning that Forest City didn’t take into account the demographics of Stapleton and (nearby neighborhoods) Lowry and Park Hill.”
While residents were hoping for popular and upmarket names like Crate and Barrel, Banana Republic and Restoration Hardware, Pryor said, they ended up with discount- and youth-oriented brands such as Buckle, Charlotte Russe and Forever 21.
Macy’s at Northfield has been a particular target of criticism from Stapleton residents who say the department store fails to carry popular product lines such as Polo Ralph Lauren.
“They don’t carry the quality and type of merchandise I want to buy, or that anyone I know wants to buy,” said Stapleton resident JoAnne Wojak.
“Every time I go there, I leave disappointed,” Wojak said. “I see a lot of teeny-bopper stuff there. They absolutely are catering to a lower-income demographic.”
Macy’s and Northfield officials said the store is poised to revamp its merchandise and better reflect customer preferences under the retailer’s new nationwide program to give individual stores more latitude in product mix and pricing.
Some Northfield shoppers and merchants say the center’s outdoor orientation — many retailers front the two-block “Main Street” bisecting the property — discourages shopping in winter months.
“Summertime is good here, and the weekends are usually busy if the weather is good,” said Yaki Niane, owner of women’s accessories store RYG Fashion. “But I’d rather be busy every single day, even when the weather’s not nice.”
A Borders Books manager said last month as the store was preparing to close that “there’s just not a lot of traffic through this area.”
Broomfield real estate agent Janell Lister likes the outdoor style. “Colorado gets such good weather all year long,” she said on a recent weekday visit to Northfield. “And I think it’s nice to be be able to pull up close to a store entrance instead of having to walk through a big indoor mall.”
Northfield’s director of marketing, Diana Fiore, said construction of a new interchange on Interstate 70 will make access to the center easier and provide a more direct route for Stapleton residents who currently use Quebec Street.
The success of Bass Pro Shops and the Northfield’s signing of the Toby Keith bar and restaurant signify measures of success, said Longmont-based retail and marketing consultant Jon Schallert of The Schallert Group.
He said it’s not realistic for Stapleton residents to expect a high-end focus at the mall.
“It’s a changing demographic area,” Schallert said. “You’ve got a new up-and-coming Stapleton shopper who wants some upscale shopping, but (Northfield) is also drawing from a 10-mile radius that will have decidedly lower demographics. I think they’ve got a pretty good tenant mix.”
Steve Raabe: 303-954-1948 or sraabe@denverpost.com
