Toys R Us Express has opened in a 3,000-square-foot space at La Cumbre Plaza on Upper State Street in Santa Barbara, mall officials said Tuesday.
“(It’s) on the east side of the center, across from Gymboree, near Macy’s,” mall spokeswoman Kevala Kenna said. “It’s smaller in scale, but they offer the same great services as a full size, traditional Toys R Us.”
Earlier this month, By Design, a home décor boutique, opened at La Cumbre. It’s the first By Design location in Santa Barbara, but the store operates five sites in Los Angeles. By Design offers design and in-home staging services, and specializes in eco-friendly products.
Mall officials said Toys R Us Express and By Design are “seasonal leases.”
“We welcome retailers with targeted concepts to connect with our consumers during a strategic time frame,” Trey Lindle, senior property manager for La Cumbre Plaza, said in a news release. “This location enables a retailer like Toys R Us Express to reach key back-to-school and holiday shoppers.”
Earlier this year, La Cumbre officials announced that boutique Love Culture is expected to open in August.
Founded in 2007 near Los Angeles, Love Culture has a store design that “mirrors its trendy shopper with dynamic, modern design, translucent glass storefronts and floor-to-ceiling glass walls,” company officials said.
The company has 26 stores in 11 states with plans to open 100 stores across the country by 2013.
With nearly 500,000 square feet of retail space, La Cumbre Plaza is an open-air shopping spot that includes anchors Sears and Macy’s. The mall has an array of specialty shops and restaurants.
La Cumbre Plaza, like Santa Barbara’s Paseo Nuevo downtown mall, is owned by Macerich, which owns about 70 other properties.
— Noozhawk contributor Ray Estrada can be reached at news@noozhawk.com.