Mr. Bill’s Restaurant at Everett Mall has closed to make way for a new Borders Books &Music store.
The mall’s new owners, Steadfast Cos., bought out the restaurant’s lease as a first step in an ambitious renovation plan, said Linda Johannes, the mall’s general manager.
Johannes said the restaurant, which had opened in the mall in 1993, closed on Jan. 31. The fixtures and restaurant equipment were auctioned off last week, and workers began removing them on Monday.
The restaurant had a loyal following of people who no doubt are sad to see it go, Johannes said. “They’d been a part of the mall for a long time.”
The new Borders store and an Old Navy outlet will be “junior anchor” tenants flanking the mall’s new main entrance, Johannes said.
Construction is already underway on the space that Old Navy will occupy, and work should begin on the new Borders site within two weeks, she said.
Contractors also are working on a new 100,000-square foot expansion of the mall, to be called The Village, which will include Best Buy and Bed Bath &Beyond stores, she said.
Various mall renovation plans have been proposed over the years, but last summer’s sale to California-based Steadfast has triggered this round of serious activity. The new owners plan to spend $30 million over the next two years, adding new stores, buildings, signs, lights and landscaping.
The plans call for the mall to get a new front facade and entrances, and a 16-screen Regal Cineplex to replace the three screens Regal now operates there.
Reporter Bryan Corliss: 425-339-3454 or corliss@heraldnet.com.
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