Type: Retail

Size: 105,000 square feet

Developer: At Home Stores

Architect: Callaway Architecture

Details: The Wal-Mart store in the Village of Blaine Shopping Center won't stay vacant long after the retailer's move to new quarters elsewhere the suburb: The home decor chain At Home has received approvals to convert the 146,000-square-foot building into its first Minnesota location.

Wal-Mart's new Blaine location at Interstate 35W and Lexington Avenue N. opened this week, leaving the 15-year-old building at 4405 Pheasant Ridge Dr. NE. vacant, but the quickly growing At Home has already stepped in to fill the void.

The Texas-based retailer this month obtained the blessing of the Blaine City Council to transform about 105,000 square feet of the former Wal-Mart space into a "home decor superstore." City officials say At Home is buying the real estate and is lining up a tenant for the remaining space.

Scott Stone of Callaway Architecture told the council he hopes to have the conversion completed and the new store opened by fall 2016.

Formerly known as Garden Ridge, the company has undergone a $20 million brand transformation into a big-box home decor format boasting more than 50,000 unique items per store at "everyday low prices." The rebranding has been accompanied by a major expansion push, going from 58 stores in 2012 to about 100 this year.

The Blaine location will be At Home's first in the Upper Midwest.

Don Jacobson is a freelance writer in St. Paul. He can be contacted at hotproperty.startribune@gmail.com.