So True, So True

From the Monday edition of the Pioneer Press

Woodbury Lakes stirs east-west comparisons

BY ALLISON KAPLAN

Pioneer Press


A trendy lifestyle shopping center with a Banana Republic isn't going to be enough to shake off Woodbury's inferiority complex.

Woodbury Lakes, an outdoor, Main Street-styled center that will finally bring upscale shopping to the fashion-starved far-eastern suburbs, is scheduled to open Friday just off Interstate 94 and Radio Drive. Prime attractions include Express, Victoria's Secret, the Gap concepts and Z. Gallerie, a stylish home store making its debut in the Twin Cities market.

But some locals are already a bit disappointed about what the center won't have: Abercrombie & Fitch, Anthropologie, Pottery Barn, William Sonoma and P.F. Chang's China Bistro — all tony tenants of the Twin Cities' only other lifestyle center, Arbor Lakes in Maple Grove, which was built by the same team, Opus and Red Development.

"They think we're not sophisticated enough," said Linda Alexander, who moved out to Woodbury in the 1970s, before the roads were paved. "It's so frustrating. We're always behind."

The fact that Maple Grove has an Ann Taylor while Woodbury is getting the lower-priced Ann Taylor Loft rankles resident Amy Greenlay. "We look like a bargain basement," she said.

But the decision has more to do with retail trends than disparities between communities, said Opus senior vice president Tim Murnane. At the moment, Ann Taylor Loft is the hot concept, so that's what the company wants to expand. And Abercrombie & Fitch is one of many retailers scaling back on store openings this year, Murnane added.

There's no denying, however, that Pottery Barn, which has a shop on Grand Avenue in St. Paul, had no interest in heading farther east. Upscale eatery P.F. Chang, which routinely logs hour-plus waits at Arbor Lakes and Southdale Center in Edina, also rejected Woodbury, Murnane said.

Perception is a factor. "The west is more upscale. It always has been," said David Brennan, co-director of the Institute for Retailing Excellence at the University of St. Thomas.

On paper, Woodbury and Maple Grove are virtually twins: Both have around 50,000 residents, an average household income of $76,000 and a median age of 33 or 34. Both are situated on major highways on the edge of the metro and serve as shopping hubs for people in outlying areas like St. Cloud to the west or Hudson, Wis., to the east.

The big difference, Brennan said, is the suburbs surrounding Maple Grove are more affluent and densely populated than Woodbury's neighbors.

That could explain why Woodbury Lakes is having trouble attracting upscale dining chains such as Cheesecake Factory or California Pizza Kitchen. Right now, just one sit-down restaurant, Claddagh Irish Pub, is slated to open at the center later this fall. There's space for two or three more restaurants, Murnane said. "That's an area we're going to work on."

Twin Cities retail expert Mike Simms, vice president of United Properties, believes high-quality dining, and perhaps more highly sought-after stores, will come to Woodbury once the center is a success. "You've got a very desirable demographic that makes up the Woodbury trade area," Simms said. "It's no less sophisticated than Maple Grove. I don't buy into that."

Neither does Los Angeles-based Z. Gallerie. "Any area with new homes is great for us," spokeswoman Jennifer Reeves said. "We like going into areas where there's a lot of growth."

Coldwater Creek, a clothing company that targets women 40 and older, is one of the retailers that pushed Opus hardest for a Woodbury shopping development. From Internet and catalog business, the company knows it has 215,000 customers within an hour of Woodbury.

"Our customer loves lifestyle centers," said Coldwater Creek spokesman David Gunter. "They've got the cobblestone streets, benches and convenient parking. You don't have to navigate your way through a sea of teen concepts to get to our store."

Indeed, Woodbury Lakes has less of a teen focus than Arbor Lakes, where an entire wing of the center — steps away from a multiplex, something else Woodbury Lakes lacks — is devoted to youthful shops. Woodbury will have a handful of popular teen stores, including American Eagle Outfitters, Aeropostale and the Buckle, but they are sprinkled throughout the center.

That's by design, Murnane said. At Arbor Lakes, Opus discovered all the stores — including the teen retailers — wanted to be situated near the one central plaza. So, in Woodbury, several smaller plazas have been created with benches and landscaping. Lifestyle centers emphasize the quick stop, and Arbor Lakes isn't quick enough. In Woodbury, the shops face a street that runs the length of the center, making it possible to park in front of almost every store. There are also more walk-throughs to get from the exterior parking lots to the stores.

So being second isn't all bad.

Even if the center isn't enough to quell residents' west-side envy, Woodbury Lakes will open with 45 stores — almost entirely well-known national chains. Alexander, for one, is excited that she'll no longer have to drive to Mall of America to shop at New York & Company and DSW.

"This gives me some credibility with my Minneapolis friends who wondered why I moved out here," she said. "Now, they might be willing to come to me. That's progress."

Allison Kaplan can be reached at akaplan@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5116. The fashion-forsaken residents of Woodbury are about to start shopping in style at the new Woodbury Lakes center, but shoppers first should check out tips on making the most of the experience.

Seriously, this is so true! Now I grew up in the Western Subarbs and always had fabulous shopping. Then we moved to Woodbury and seriously the only good stores going in at Woodbury Lakes are Banana Republic and DSW. This means I still have to go to Southdale or the MOA for good shopping. *sigh*
I'm especially bummed about the restaraunts. We have lots of upscale fast food, but evidently we aren't good enough for the nice chains.