Galleria in Edina appoints new general manager

The Galleria in Edina is under new leadership.

The upper-end shopping center announced Monday that Wendy Eisenberg, a veteran of the Twin Cities retail scene, is its new general manager.

"Wendy is an experienced, creative professional with outstanding leadership abilities and an impressive wellspring of business expertise," Sargent Johnson, director at Hines, which owns and manages the Galleria, said in a statement. "She is the perfect fit to help the Galleria continue to grow, thrive and serve our community in the years ahead."

Eisenberg, who has 25 years of experience in retail and commercial real estate, joined the Galleria staff at the beginning of the year. She has served as the center's assistant general manager before her appointment.

"We are a unique property," she said. "The atmosphere and the tenant mix, coupled with local, national and international brands, makes it a place like no other in the Twin Cities."

She held positions at the Shoppes at Arbor Lakes in Maple Grove, Burnsville Center, and Suntide Commercial Realty in St. Paul before joining the Galleria.

In her previous role, Eisenberg, 59, was a key figure in the planning and development of the expansion space created when Barnes & Noble downsized and moved into a lower-level space. Ten new stores or restaurants will be created in the 20,000 square feet expansion, including the Nantucket-inspired Cov restaurant, which is set to open in November. Eight of the 10 spaces have commitments, Eisenberg said, which includes some new local tenants.

The Galleria will add the home furnishings store Design within Reach in late fall, but it expects to lose Restoration Hardware when its lease expires in 2019. The luxury home store plans to build a four-story, 50,000 square feet store in the southwest corner of the Southdale parking lot just across from the Galleria.

"The addition of a mansion across the street is a good thing. It will strengthen home furnishings in Edina," Eisenberg said. "Obviously, when we have a property leave we have to backfill, but we have some exciting plans for that space."

Jerry Cohen, the previous GM, has moved back to Chicago to be closer to family.