EVERETT – A fast-growing clothing chain known for selling jeans, T-shirts and sportswear at rock-bottom prices will replace Mervyn’s in the Everett Mall next year.
Steve &Barry’s University Sportswear will lease 78,000 square feet in the mall’s south wing after Mervyn’s shuts down early next year.
Known for supermarket-sized stores that feature hardwood floors, flat-screen TVs and wide aisles, Steve &Barry’s offers jeans, T-shirts, other sportswear and casual clothes as well as shoes. Most items are priced around $10.
“It’s something new and different. It’s probably the hottest retail chain in the U.S.,” said Linda Johannes, the mall’s general manager.
The new store will occupy all of Mervyn’s second-floor space and the half of Mervyn’s first floor that faces the mall. The south half of the first floor, as well as a new addition that will jut out to the south, will be leased by L.A. Fitness.
“The south end of the mall will have a dramatically different feel in terms of its appearance, traffic and its retail sales dollars,” said Patrick Cox, a partner with the mall’s owner, Steadfast Cos.
Mervyn’s, which is pulling out of Washington state, plans to close its Everett store sometime in January. Construction crews will then go to work reconfiguring the space, with Steve &Barry’s aiming to open in the second half of 2007.
In addition to the clothing store and the fitness club, a space suitable for a restaurant will be carved out of the Mervyn’s wing, Cox said. While the mall hasn’t signed a deal with any specific eatery, it wants to have that option available, he said.
Steve &Barry’s, based in New York, has created waves in the clothing retail industry by selling clothes at prices associated more with Wal-Mart and Target than with other department stores.
“Our whole concept is delivering a great variety of quality things for 50 to 90 percent lower than the competition,” said Bill Haug, a Steve &Barry’s spokesman. “We really think we can be the next big thing in retail.”
Everett will be one of the first Washington locations for Steve &Barry’s, which also plans to open in Auburn and Olympia in the coming year.
The chain was founded more than 20 years ago by childhood friends who sold University of Pennsylvania garb at prices that undercut the university’s bookstore. In 1998, Steve &Barry’s opened its first large mall-based store, and has since expanded rapidly, with more than 140 stores. By the year’s end, that number will be closer to 200. Last year, the chain won the Hot Retailer of the Year Award from the International Council of Shopping Centers.
“They have this niche for quality products at affordable prices,” said Cox, who has visited Steve &Barry’s locations in California malls and was impressed by the number of shoppers they attract. “There are a lot of Steve &Barry’s bags walking through their malls.”
With the future of the Mervyn’s anchor spot now determined, Cox said Steadfast is focused on filling in some empty gaps inside the mall. Since buying the mall in summer 2004, the mall’s owner has spent millions to build The Village west of the mall, attract more major retailers and renovated portions of the shopping center.
Reporter Eric Fetters: 425-339-3453 or fetters@heraldnet.com.
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