Bellis Fair gets a new owner with big plans as several retailers arrive, depart
After a busy holiday season, Bellis Fair is preparing to refresh itself with a host of new tenants.
The first quarter of the year is typically a time when some of the older tenants leave the mall to make room for new businesses.
The mall also recently went through an ownership change. The mall is now officially operated by Brookfield Properties, which bought General Growth last year. The only change Bellis Fair visitors might notice right now is the ownership name change, General Manager Austin Israelsky said in an interview with The Bellingham Herald
Longer term, Israelsky said it’s possible the mall will undergo changes that eventually mean the addition of office or residential spaces. In a recent article on the website TheRealDeal.com, it was reported that Brookfield executives announced plans to “future proof” at least 100 former General Growth property malls. The article reported that Brookfield plans to spend between $800 million and $1 billion annually for a few years to add office or residential space to those malls across the U.S.
New tenants
One of the confirmed tenants coming to the mall is PlayDate, which offers a play area for children under 12 and a cafe for parents. It is expected to open in the Target wing sometime this spring, said Bob Birkhahn, who operates PlayDate facilities in Seattle and Portland with his family.
PlayDate will have a large central structure for children to climb on, similar to the one PlayDate has in Portland, Birkhahn said in an email. That facility has slides, ball cannons and interactive dance floors.
The cafe menu will include chicken wings, pizza, salads, wraps, coffee and sandwiches. For adults there are also beer and wine options.
Further details and updates can be found on the company’s website.
Also opening soon in the Target wing is Sola Salon Studios, which is planning to provide stylists high-end, fully equipped stations. It will have 27 individual spaces available for stylists to lease as their own small business, said Nick Foster, a franchise owner, in an email. It is slated to open later this month in the former Old Country Buffet space.
Negotiations are underway for several other businesses interested in coming to the mall, Israelsky said. The companies expressing interest are in several different retail categories, including food, clothing, cosmetic and athletic gear.
Along with openings, several tenants have left the mall. The most recent closures were Zales Jewelers, Instinct and Anime World.
This story was originally published February 3, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
