Galleria, Americana to offer new stores, eateries

The Glendale Galleria, which underwent a major renovation that was unveiled last fall, is gearing up to offer a slew of new stores and eateries in the coming months and news about what will take over the former Nordstrom space could come as early as May.

Meanwhile, the Americana at Brand will soon welcome a few new tasty offerings.

The upcoming openings come on the heels of the opening of a Bloomingdale’s store last November in the Galleria on the corner of Brand Boulevard and Broadway.

“We wanted to make sure that Bloomingdale’s and the customers Bloomingdale’s attracts had other like retailers,” said Christina Riojas, the Galleria’s marketing manager.

On the retail side, Coach is slated to open a new expanded section to house men’s clothing, while Armani Jeans near the new Bloomingdale’s store should be in business by July.

Also opening in July on the upper level near Target will be skater clothing-and-accessories retailer Zumiez, followed by Brighton Collectibles — which features jewelry, handbags and accessories — in August near JCPenney.

Caruso Affiliated, which owns the former Nordstrom space at the Galleria, is expected to announce who will fill the now-vacant store as early as the end of May, and there could be as many as three or four tenants in the space, said Rick Lemmo, president of the Downtown Glendale Assn. and senior vice president of community relations for Caruso Affiliated.

As far as dining options, candy store Lolli & Pops, purveyors of global treats such as Madagascar chocolates and sodas from Japan, will open its doors across from the mall’s food court sometime in April.

The food court will also be getting a Chipotle Mexican Grill, while Blaze Pizza and Earthbar, a juice bar, will both set up shop on the third floor near Bloomingdale’s.

Further out, the Galleria announced that Spanish clothing retailer Zara will operate out of a 35,000-square-foot storefront.

At the Americana, the long-awaited Sprinkle’s cupcakes store — slated to take over the former Jewel City Diner — is expected to open in early summer and will be equipped with its famous ATM machine that dispenses cupcakes, said Liz Jaeger, vice president of public relations for Caruso Affiliated, which owns the Americana.

Another sweet-tooth option will be Project Pie, expected to open sometime this summer, while grilled-cheese spot Melt will start serving up sandwiches on April 13, which is National Grilled Cheese Day, Jaeger said.

Lemmo said fast-casual dining options make for good additions because they keep people walking.

“What we’re trying to do in downtown is inspire convenience for foot traffic,” he said. “What I like about food like that is that you can hold it in your hand … it inspires people to walk up and down the boulevard to discover what’s new in downtown Glendale.”
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Follow Arin Mikailian on Twitter: @ArinMikailian.