Edina's Galleria adding space for as many as 12 new stores

The Galleria in Edina will be adding as many as 12 new stores in an expansion triggered by relocating its Barnes & Noble bookstore.

Eight to 10 tenants, as yet unnamed, will go in the first-floor space now occupied by Barnes & Noble in the luxury mall's northeast corner. The mall's owners will add 20,000 square feet of space near that corner and stretching into the parking area north of the bookstore.

"This is a fabulous time for the Galleria," said general manager Jerry Cohen. "We have been virtually 100 percent leased, and this expansion will allow us to accomplish our goal of bringing more unique, first-to-market stores."

Leasing agents will also seek retailers and restaurants that serve younger adults. "We have an older demographic than other ­centers," Cohen said. "We're pushing to skew younger as spending patterns change."

As the mall with the highest sales per square foot in the Twin Cities, the Galleria is in fierce competition with Mall of America to be the first to grab upscale retailers that appeal to a younger audience. The Mall of America has successfully locked down sought-after chains like Zara and Anthropologie.

One Galleria retailer likely to attract a crossover audience is Philadelphia-based Free People, which opened Friday in the former Epitome space. "The fashion sensibility is free spirit and bohemian, making it cute if you're younger and easy to wear if you're a bit older," said Beth Perro-Jarvis of Ginger, a branding agency in Minneapolis. Free People, a division of Urban Outfitters, describes its audience on its website as "a 26-year-old girl, smart, creative, confident and comfortable in all aspects of her being, free and adventurous, sweet to tough to tomboy to romantic."

The women's clothing store has had a Mall of America location since in 2013. Two other stores opening in late September or October at the Galleria will be new to the market.

Julie Corty of Minneapolis, who was shopping at the Galleria on Thursday, said she planned to check out the new stores but hopes future stores will bring back an element on which Galleria was founded. "I'm disappointed that the local stores are pulling out," she said. "I hope they bring in some new locally owned retailers."

Cohen said that finding local tenants is a definite part of the search as long as they can meet the same criteria as national tenants. Nearly a dozen locally owned stores have left the Galleria in recent years, including Len Druskin and Epitome.

The center's largest local tenant, Gabberts, is staying put for now. Last year, Gabberts' chief executive Rod Johansen said the furniture retailer was considering a move unless it could raise the ceiling in part of its store. That isn't happening, but Johansen has since renewed a lease through mid-2020.

Another major tenant, Restoration Hardware, could also bring big changes to the mall. Its representatives have expressed an interest in building a four-story gallery store with a restaurant at Southdale Center or the Galleria. Its lease expires in 2018.

Barnes & Noble's new store will move to a new space in the mall with a smaller footprint than it has currently. But it will become one of the few Barnes & Noble stores in the country to add a full-service restaurant. It is expected to be open for the holidays.

John Ewoldt • 612-673-7633