Some shops won't be ready for Natick Collection opening

NATICK

Many of the new shops planned for the expansion of Natick Collection won't be ready in time for the Sept. 7 grand opening.

Jim Grant, vice president of development at mall owner General Growth Properties, said the Nordstrom department store and about 70 percent of the 98 planned new stores will open that day. That should increase to between 85 and 90 percent by the time the holiday shopping season begins after Thanksgiving, he said. A Neiman Marcus is projected to open on Sept. 15.

"September's kind of a dicey month for openings," Grant said. "A lot of stores would prefer to open for the holiday season."

He said some stores had simply not planned well enough to open on time, others will be waiting on merchandise and still others had their construction delayed by work on the parking garage underneath the expansion.

Still, he said, the grand opening will be impressive for customers.

"All the common area, exterior and interior, will be done, 100 percent. Whatever's going on in the tenant spaces will be pretty well disguised," he said. "They'll see our best face on Sept. 7."

-- John C. Drake