Document text
Outlet adds Northwest air Little center passed its peak, now prepares for shopping revival By GREG STILES PHOENIX - The boom that sprinkled discount factory outlet stores throughout the land has run its course. The rapid expansion was near its peak when Southern Oregon's version of the factory outlet center opened in 1993. But in recent years there's been more fizzle than sizzle. The 80,000-square-foot center was sold to Mike Lofrano of Roseburg in January of 1999 and since has lost some of its most prominent tenants. Last spring, executive marketing managers David and Dianne Linderman of Grants Pass were given the job of rejuvenating interest in the mall lodged on the west flank of Interstate 5 at Fern Valley Road. The Lindermans began changing Pear Tree Factory Outlet Stores' image by renaming it The Pacific Northwest Marketplace and Outlet Mall and applying some paint. Their goal is to revamp the mix of stores to focus on those that sell products that reflect Northwest lifestyles. "We were hired to give the mall a new breath of life," Dianne Linderman said. "The stores that we have are strong, and we want to build around them. We want people to remember that they're still there. A lot of people forget." The hole card, as Linderman sees it, is location. "I was looking for a place to open my First Mom's Club store," said Linderman, who doubles as a merchant at the mall. "I never thought of looking at an outlet mall location, but it coincided with what I wanted to do with the mall. The location is awesome. "We traveled all over the state looking for a place and there was no other location like it, except the one in Woodburn." Two-year-old Woodburn Company Stores - with 68 of its 70-shop space filled - is 30 minutes south of Portland. "Obviously, you want to have good proximity to a population base," said Mary Graves, manager of Woodburn Company Stores. "There have been some closures and bankruptcies in the industry, and factory outlets are not opening at the pace they were in the '80s and '90s. But success still starts with a good tenant mix." Linderman wants to capitalize on a trend. "Shoppers and customers don't want to walk around a mall for half an hour looking for a store where they'll shop," Linderman said. "They can drive right in front of the store and unload the kids here." If tour buses and local consumers are staples, travelers roaring north past Ashland are the spice the outlet mall craves. "We have people coming up and asking for directions to Ashland," Linderman said. "This really is the entry point to Oregon." Linderman wants to make the outlets a fun place to go and has lined up a monthly event list to make it happen. Last month, for example, Ford Motor Co. displayed its retro-designed 2002 Thunderbird and Mustang Bullitt GT, drawing as many as 10,000 people to the mall between 9 and 5 on July 15. The Pacific Northwest Art and Wine Walk will feature art, wine and cheese exhibits on Aug. 26. In September, "One Last Blast" is the theme surrounding sidewalk sales and a petting zoo. The Lindermans owned and later sold a traveling petting zoo. They've operated restaurants in both Jackson and Josephine counties since moving from California in the 1970s. Pear Tree Factory Stores opened in October of 1993, at that time the first outlet center between Anderson, Calif., and Centralia, Wash., along the I-5 corridor. Among the most recognizable tenants were London Fog, Prestige Fragrance, Bugle Boy and Ralph Lauren stores - all gone from the current landscape. Seventeen of 21 spaces are currently filled. Three years ago, Consumer Reports magazine detailed consolidation of factory outlet malls and the decline discounts that fueled the boom. Outlet stores began in the 1970s. In the decade from 1987 to 1998, the number of outlet malls nearly tripled to 312. Abraham Rosenthal, chief executive officer of Baltimore-based Prime Retail, which owns two dozen outlet malls, including one in Bend. told Associated Press: "As the industry has evolved ... you get the better products, and only six weeks behind the department stores." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4463 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.