GREENFIELD — A shoe store and two clothing retailers, one catering to teens, will join the Greenfield Business Park, where developers are finishing up construction work on the new Kohl’s and PetSmart stores.
The additional stores are being built on a 1.3-acre site on the north end of the Kohl’s lot just southeast of the State Street and Interstate 70 interchange, said Joanie Fitzwater, city planning director.
Maurice’s, a clothing store moving from its current location in the 1600 block of North State St., and footwear retailer Shoe Dept. plan to open in two 5,000-square-foot storefronts near the intersection of Barrett and Martindale Drives. Rue 21, a clothing store for teens, will move into a 6,500-square-foot side just west of Kohl’s. Together, the five shopping locations add 64,500 square feet of a retail options to the city’s offerings.
Construction is wrapping up on Kohl’s, which is slated to open its doors Sept. 25.
Developers have not announced when PetSmart or the smaller complex of stores will be completed, Fitzwater said.
But residents like Candy Trout say they’re watching the progress with excitement.
For years, Trout packed her family up and drove to neighboring communities, looking for better shopping options. With the closest Kohl’s location a nearly 30-minute drive away, the store wasn’t one she frequented.
Trout said she’ll utilize the Greenfield location much more often, and having the additional clothing and shoe stores open nearby will make shopping much less of a headache.
Developers have shoppers like Trout in mind when searching for the right retailers to place in storefronts near popular department stores like Kohl’s, said Andy Dettro, a commercial developer for RealtyLink, the company overseeing construction on 6-acre site in Greenfield.
“Lots of tenants want to follow Kohl’s,” Dettro said.
The Kohl’s in Greenfield is significantly smaller than what is traditionally expected from the department-store chain. The Greenfield location will be take up 35,000-square-feet. Stores in surrounding counties measure between 55,000 and 85,000 square feet, officials said.
The Greenfield location is one of six the chain is opening this fall that fit the company’s compact format, officials said. Last year, Kohl’s announced plans to move forward with a “small, more nimble” store model that catered to “under-served markets,” after earlier plans for a traditional-sized store were called off, according to press release.
But Hancock County shoppers won’t miss out on anything the large stores offer, said Melanie Hochschild, a spokeswoman for Kohl’s.
Kiosks will be placed in the Greenfield store that will allow customers to search and order goods and schedule an in-store pick up, she said.