Mall Moves: Gap Kids going, Aerie arriving

by David Reed

January 28,2008

In the retail industry, the end of January is typically a time of transformation, when holiday season sales are on the books and leases are coming up for renewal. At the Columbia Mall, there are several stores on the move.  Gap Kids and the FYE music store are vacating, while Aerie by American Eagle, an intimate apparel store, is moving in, Katie Essing, the Mall manager, told CBT. The Mr. Bulky candy store is moving from the Sears wing to a larger space in the Target wing and plans to open in the new spot in April. Deck the Walls is also moving into a larger space, and Select Comfort is moving its mall store into the vacated space. The mall is still looking for a sit-down restaurant to replace Garfield’s. Overall, Essing said there are several deals in the works that she expects will be completed by the end of February, at which time the occupancy rate will be about 98 percent.