Legacy Place continues to grow

By Michele Morgan Bolton, Globe Correspondent

As the rest of the economy spins its wheels, officials at Legacy Place say the Providence Highway shopping center is surging forward, defying the odds in hard times as it signs new tenants and opens new stores.

In fact, said David Fleming, a spokesman for developer WS Development, the 675,000-square-foot mall at the junction of Route 128 is almost at full capacity.

Legacy Place is a joint venture of National Amusements and WS Development. It already features popular anchor stores like Whole Foods Market, L.L. Bean, Showcase Cinema De Lux, Borders, and Kings, he said.

But now the shopping center is ready to welcome a range of businesses that have recently signed leases, including clothiers Love Culture, Chicos, and White House/Black Market; Wicked Fire Kissed Pizza, created by local owners Robert and Sheri Catania; and Dandelion, an affordable boutique, according to Fleming, offering handcrafted jewelry.

A number of other ventures opened in March, he said, including the 10,000-square-foot Yard House, a casual restaurant; Beauty and Main, a 1,000-square-foot cosmetic and skin care boutique; J.P. Licks, which features homemade ice cream and non-fat frozen yogurt made at its original Jamaica Plain location in the new 1,700-square-foot location; and Francesca's Collections, a 1,330-square-foot store selling fashion-forward styles in women's clothing, accessories, and gifts, Fleming said.

"There are only a few spaces remaining,'' Fleming added. "We're pleased with how rapidly we're signing leases and believe the stores we're adding are nicely rounding out our retail mix."

Michele Morgan Bolton can be reached at mmbolton1@verizon.net.