by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
New businesses, polished surroundings and a slightly different footprint are just a few of the changes happening at the Landing before the end of the year.
Landing spokesperson Rachel Kaltenbach explained the improvements said the improvements were preceding at a singular pace.
“If it seems like a lot is happening all at once, there’s a reason for that,” said Kaltenbach. “We have been talking to several interested businesses for months, because we wanted to find the people who will be successful and ultimately be a good fit for the Landing.
“It took some time, but we believe we have the right mix.”
Kaltenbach said at least two new businesses — RD Express Pharmacy and Rome Perfume — would open this fall.
“We’re very excited about both of our new tenants,” she said. “A pharmacy, really downtown’s first, is going to add so much to the area. On one hand, there’s an entirely new downtown residential element that can take advantage of that. It’s also very convenient for people who work down here and are unable to get away on their lunch breaks.”
Kaltenbach said two existing stores — The Basket Case and The Store, now called Sundrez — relocated earlier this month.
“The owner of The Store, Doug Ganson, had expressed a desire to move for a very long time,” she said. “He had been upstairs in a limited space for years and we knew he wanted to expand. When the right space became available, he was more than happy to take it, which worked out well for everyone.”
The Basket Case, she said, moved for another reason.
According to Kaltenbach, The Twisted Martini was interested in acquiring more square footage, but that none was available.
Scheduled for a Dec. 8 opening, that much-needed space became available after owners of The Basket Case agreed to move two doors down.
“That worked out very well. It was truly the perfect compromise,” said Kaltenbach. “Counting the old Basket Case space, Twisted Martini is going to have all of the room they need. It should be somewhere around 7,000 square feet.”
Prompting the need for more space was Landing owner Tony Sleiman’s long-term plans to reconfigure the riverfront mall’s Laura Street entrance some time next year. Though increasing public access into the Landing, the plan cut through much of The Twisted Martini’s original floor plans.
“Now instead of expanding out, they’re going to expand back further into the Landing,” she said.
Kaltenbach said provisions are being made for existing businesses located in the planned renovation areas
“It’s still a long ways away. I need to stress that,” she said. “But we plan to honor those leases and we will do anything we can to make sure any interested business has a place here.”
Affected tenants include Coastal Cookies, The Ice Cream Churn and Steakfinger Station, though Kaltenbach declined to comment on any specifics.
“As part of any lease agreement, we have a special relocation clause,” she said. “What that basically says is that in the event that something like this should happen, we will do our best to find a comparable place for them to do business. If we are unable to do that, then the lease can be terminated by either party, but we still have plenty of time to approach that issue. Right now everyone here is very supportive of Tony’s vision and confident that he knows what will work best here.”