Zara among 8 new stores set to open at Easton

In a year when other retail centers are fighting just to survive, Easton Town Center is planning to open eight new stores, including trendy Zara.

At the same time, six existing stores are moving to redesigned digs and the landmark Station Building will be updated.

The news is “a testament to Easton and how well they’re doing,” said Lee Peterson, an executive vice president at WD Partners, a Dublin retail-consulting company.

The new stores feature many firsts for central Ohio and includes the arrival of Zara, the Spanish company that is one of the world’s largest international fashion chains for men, women and children. The

operates 80 stores in more than 20 cities in the United States and online, and opened its first Ohio location last year at the Beachwood Place mall in the Cleveland area.

Easton’s Zara is expected to open in November.

“Zara is a global leader in contemporary fashion, a global powerhouse,” said Beau Arnason, executive vice president of Steiner + Associates, co-developer and managers of Easton Town Center. “The brand has extremely strong recognition throughout the world. Getting them to Columbus was a real coup.”

Zara is a notable addition, Peterson said, because the company is one of the original and most successful creators of “fast-fashion” retailing.

“When they started in

the ‘80s, they would go to Milan, look at the latest styles and then go to their factories,” he said. “Within five or six weeks, they’d have those fashions in the stores. And they’re still like that. They’ve always been on top of fashion.”

Zara needed a big, prominent location at Easton’s “front door” area. “It took a long time for us to put together the square footage,” Arnason said.

To answer that need, Easton moved some tenants at the intersection of The Strand East and Gramercy Street, then added a second story of retail space to create a nearly 36,000-square-foot store.

“The two-story presence on that corner where they’re going will have a big impact,” Arnason said.

Other new players

Zara will join seven other new retailers headed to

Easton:

Shinola, offering watches and hand-crafted leather goods, is scheduled to open in the fall. This will be its first Ohio location.

Filson, a brand affiliated with Shinola that offers American-made outerwear, apparel and accessories, will open its first Ohio location in the fall.

MAC Cosmetics is expected open its first standalone location in Ohio in the summer.

A Pea in the Pod, offering maternity apparel, will open in the fall.

Soft Surroundings, which offers soft shoes, apparel, fragrances and swimwear, will open its first central Ohio location in the summer.

Lilly Pulitzer, which offers apparel, accessories and giftware in signature prints, will open its first company-owned location in central Ohio in the summer.

Condado Tacos, the Columbus-based taco restaurant whose first location opened in 2014 in the Short North, will open its third location in May at Easton.

Relocations

Several Easton stores plan (or already have) new locations within the retail center:

Eddie Bauer has moved across the street from its previous location into space once occupied by Urban Home & Garden.

J.Jill, the women’s apparel retailer, is scheduled to move in the spring to The Strand West.

Bubbles Tea & Juice Company, which operates a food and drink kiosk near the Central Park Fountain, will open a second Easton location in the Station Building near AMC Theatres.

Occasionally Yours, which sells gifts, accessories and home accents, plans to move in the summer to a

space adjacent to American Girl.

Swarovski, known for its crystal jewelry, accessories and figurines, plans to move in the summer to Gramercy Street adjacent to the new MAC Cosmetics.

Lush Cosmetics, which specializes in scented soaps, perfumes and lotions, will significantly expand and move in the fall to a location adjacent to the Gap.

Other changes planned at the retail center include updates to the Easton Station building, built 18 years ago to evoke train stations of the past. Its renovation will result in new colors, fixtures and flooring, as well as additional natural light.

Work on the building will occur mostly at night and is expected to be completed before the 2017 holiday season.