NEW TENANT ON THE TABLE WICKES FURNITURE IN OLD KMART SITE.Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer PALMDALE - A former Kmart store that had been vacant for more than three years has its first new tenant - a Wickes furniture store. The Wickes store, which held a grand opening Thursday, occupies about 42,000 feet of the 122,000-square-foot building that had been vacant since the Kmart discount chain retrenched in 2002. ``We're excited to have them as the major anchor that the center will revolve around Verb 1. revolve around - center upon; "Her entire attention centered on her children"; "Our day revolved around our work" center, center on, concentrate on, focus on, revolve about ,'' said Dan Otter, one of the development partners. ``It's a great site. It stayed dormant Latent; inactive; silent. That which is dormant is not used, asserted, or enforced. A dormant partner is a member of a partnership who has a financial interest yet is silent, in that he or she takes no control over the business. too long.'' Putting a store into a remodeled ``big box'' building is something of an experiment for Wickes, said John Disa, company president and chief executive officer. The company usually uses free-standing free-standing Managed care adjective Referring to a physically and, often, financially discrete entity–eg, a surgical center, that is separate from, but may be affiliated with, a hospital; FS facilities may provide ambulatory surgery, emergency or buildings but was attracted to the site because of its freeway visibility. The Palmdale store, which will employ about 35 people, is part of an effort by Wickes to expand its presence in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . The store is the 12th to open in California and its 33rd overall. ``This is a great area for us because of the growth - and it is an underserved market,'' Disa said of Palmdale. The building on 10th Street West north of Rancho ran·cho n. pl. ran·chos Southwestern U.S. 1. A hut or group of huts for housing ranch workers. 2. A ranch. Vista Boulevard is part of a retail complex called Sierra Commons that is being developed by Grae Palmdale Rancho Vista LLC (Logical Link Control) See "LANs" under data link protocol. LLC - Logical Link Control , the same firm that developed the Amargosa Commons shopping center shopping center, a concentration of retail, service, and entertainment enterprises designed to serve the surrounding region. The modern shopping center differs from its antecedents—bazaars and marketplaces—in that the shops are usually amalgamated into . Negotiations are under way with two other potential tenants, Otter said Thursday. Those talks have not progressed to the point where names can be disclosed, he added. Plans for a Mimi's Cafe restaurant for the shopping center have fallen through. The development team has scrapped plans for a free-standing restaurant building and will instead have two buildings, totaling 12,000 square feet, built for restaurant or retail use. ``It's an excellent addition,'' Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford said of the Wickes store. ``Furniture is a much needed commodity in a fast-growing community.'' Kmart closed the store in 2002 as it shuttered shut·ter n. 1. One that shuts, as: a. A hinged cover or screen for a window, usually fitted with louvers. b. stores nationwide that were in leased buildings, like the one in Palmdale, built in 1994. Kmart's bankruptcy proceedings bankruptcy proceedings n. the bankruptcy procedure is: a) filing a petition (voluntary or involuntary) to declare a debtor person or business bankrupt, or, under Chapter 11 or 13, to allow reorganization or refinancing under a plan to meet the debts of the party slowed down the process of getting the building sold and reused, officials said. Jim Skeen, (661) 267-5743 james.skeen(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) The new Wickes furniture store had its grand opening on Thursday. The building on 10th Street West north of Rancho Vista Boulevard is part of a retail complex called Sierra Commons that is being developed by Grae Palmdale Rancho Vista LLC. (2) From left, John Koupal, Wickes regional vice president; Bob Young, Wickes national vice president; store manager Geary Luke; and John Disa, the company's president and chief executive officer, tour the new furniture store in Palmdale on Thursday. Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer |
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