The Shoppes at EastChase

The Shoppes at EastChase is an open-air lifestyle shopping center in Montgomery, Alabama, forming the principal retail component of the broader EastChase mixed-use development. It is located on the eastern side of Montgomery at the intersection of Interstate 85 and Taylor Road, a position that gives the center access to local residents as well as shoppers from the wider Montgomery metropolitan area and Central Alabama. The center was conceived as a catalyst for attracting national and regional retailers to the area and helped expand Montgomery's retail offering beyond its established enclosed-mall locations. The lifestyle center opened in November 2002 with a group of in-line fashion and specialty tenants that included Talbots, Ann Taylor, Gap, and Banana Republic. Its largest anchor, Dillard's, opened a two-level store in March 2004. The 157,339-square-foot Dillard's replaced the department store's earlier location at Montgomery Mall and became a major draw for the development. Books-A-Million operates as a junior anchor in a 14,400-square-foot space. Other retail and service uses have changed over time, reflecting the center's adaptation to shifts in department-store, specialty-retail, and home-furnishings demand. The property has also included destination and convenience-oriented tenants. A former 27,984-square-foot Linens 'n Things space was later occupied by DSW Shoes, while Rooms To Go developed a separate outparcel south of the main entrance drive. Dining has been an important part of the tenant mix, with casual restaurants such as Bonefish Grill and Zoës Kitchen identified among the center's offerings. The lifestyle center has approximately 350,000 square feet of gross leasable area and has been described as featuring about fifty merchants. The tenant roster evolved significantly in the late 2010s. In August 2016, H&M was announced as a prospective 22,000-square-foot junior anchor. To make room for the retailer, original tenants including Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, and Williams-Sonoma closed their EastChase stores by June 2017. This transition illustrates the center's movement from an initially upscale lifestyle-retail concept toward a broader mix that included fast fashion and other contemporary national chains. The Shoppes at EastChase is part of a larger retail ecosystem. The wider EastChase development also contains the Plaza at EastChase, a 325,907-square-foot open-air power and convenience center, and the 513,688-square-foot EastChase Market Center. Those complementary areas have included retailers such as Target, World Market, Kohl's, PetSmart, and Michaels, while Costco operates nearby. The broader development has therefore functioned as a major regional shopping destination rather than as an isolated lifestyle center. The project was originally developed by Jim Wilson and Associates. Reference material identifies JPMorgan Chase as the current owner and Crawford Square Real Estate Advisors as the manager. The available sources do not establish a separate consumer-products brand, public-company listing, or international operating network; the entity is best understood as a regional retail-property and shopping-center brand serving Montgomery and Central Alabama.

The Shoppes at EastChase was developed as the lifestyle-center portion of EastChase, a larger mixed-use project on the eastern side of Montgomery, Alabama. Its location at Interstate 85 and Taylor Road was intended to capture regional automobile traffic and provide a modern retail destination for Montgomery and Central Alabama. Jim Wilson and Associates originally developed the project. The lifestyle center opened in November 2002. Its initial tenant roster emphasized national apparel and specialty retailers, including Talbots, Ann Taylor, Gap, and Banana Republic. The center's role expanded when Dillard's opened a two-level, 157,339-square-foot department store in March 2004. The store replaced Dillard's former Montgomery Mall location and served as the principal anchor for the development. Books-A-Million occupied a smaller 14,400-square-foot junior-anchor space. Over time, EastChase incorporated a variety of retail formats and dining uses. Linens 'n Things previously occupied a 27,984-square-foot junior-anchor pad before the space was subsequently used by DSW Shoes. Rooms To Go opened a 7,000-square-foot outparcel south of the main entrance drive. Restaurants identified in the center's tenant mix included Bonefish Grill and Zoës Kitchen. The lifestyle center reached approximately 350,000 square feet of gross leasable area and was described as having roughly fifty merchants. The development's retail reach was strengthened by adjacent open-air centers. The Plaza at EastChase contains approximately 325,907 square feet and has included Target, World Market, Kohl's, and PetSmart. EastChase Market Center is larger, at approximately 513,688 square feet, and has accommodated big-box retailers and restaurants, including Michaels and the formerly operating Bed Bath & Beyond. Costco operates adjacent to the market-center component. Together, these properties made EastChase a major shopping cluster rather than a single-format lifestyle center. The Shoppes at EastChase later adjusted its tenant mix in response to changing retail conditions. In August 2016, H&M was announced for a planned 22,000-square-foot junior-anchor space. By June 2017, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, and Williams-Sonoma had closed their locations to facilitate the redevelopment of retail space for H&M. The change marked a shift from the center's original concentration of upscale specialty labels toward a more contemporary and higher-volume fashion mix. Reference material identifies JPMorgan Chase as the owner and Crawford Square Real Estate Advisors as the manager. No separate operating company, public listing, founder biography, or executive roster is established in the available material. The center remains a regional shopping destination whose identity is tied to the EastChase mixed-use development and the broader Montgomery retail market.

• 2017

  Tenant reconfiguration for H&M

  [1]The Shoppes at EastChaseen.wikipedia.org

  Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, and Williams-Sonoma closed their EastChase stores by June as space was reconfigured for H&M.

• 2016

  H&M space announced

  [1]The Shoppes at EastChaseen.wikipedia.org

  H&M was announced as the planned tenant for a 22,000-square-foot junior-anchor space.

• 2004

  Dillard's opens anchor store

  [1]The Shoppes at EastChaseen.wikipedia.org

  Dillard's opened a two-level, 157,339-square-foot store in March, replacing its former Montgomery Mall location.

• 2002

  Lifestyle center opens

  [1]The Shoppes at EastChaseen.wikipedia.org

  The Shoppes at EastChase opened in November as the principal lifestyle-retail component of the EastChase mixed-use development.

A regional open-air lifestyle center positioned as the principal retail destination within the EastChase mixed-use development, combining national fashion, department-store, specialty, dining, and service tenants.

• Department store · 2004

  Dillard's

  The principal department-store anchor at The Shoppes at EastChase. Dillard's opened a two-level, 157,339-square-foot location in March 2004, replacing the chain's earlier Montgomery Mall store and providing broad apparel, accessories, beauty, and home-merchandise coverage.

• Books and media retail

  Books-A-Million

  A junior-anchor bookstore occupying approximately 14,400 square feet. Its presence adds books, media, gifts, and related merchandise to the center's fashion, department-store, and dining mix.

• Footwear retail

  DSW Shoes

  DSW Shoes occupies space previously associated with the Linens 'n Things junior-anchor location. The store broadens the center's apparel offer with branded and designer footwear and related accessories.

• Casual dining

  Dining and restaurant offering

  The center includes casual dining facilities that have included Bonefish Grill and Zoës Kitchen. Restaurants provide an experiential and visit-extending component alongside shopping and services.

• Fast fashion · 2016

  H&M

  H&M was announced for a planned 22,000-square-foot junior-anchor space in the lifestyle-center portion. The project represented a substantial tenant-mix change from the center's original upscale specialty-retail lineup.

• 2016

  Add H&M as a junior anchorStrategy

  Background

  The center sought to refresh its tenant mix and add a major fast-fashion retailer to the lifestyle-center component.

  Action taken

  A 22,000-square-foot junior-anchor space was announced for H&M.

  Aftermath

  By June 2017, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, and Williams-Sonoma had closed their locations to create retail space associated with the planned H&M addition.

  Source

1. 1The Shoppes at EastChaseen.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Shoppes at EastChase official websitetheshoppesateastchase.com