Collegiate Times

New River Valley Center nearing completion.

Shoe Carnival and Bed Bath and Beyond are open for business at the New River Valley Center in Christiansburg.

The two chains are the first in a string of stores opening as a result of the surge in development of the Christiansburg New River Valley Mall and its nearby properties.

Shoe Carnival held a soft opening on Sept. 28 and had their grand opening on Oct. 6.

Bed Bath and Beyond opened this past week on Oct. 9, said Mike Poldiak, New River Valley Mall manager.

Allen George, general manager for Bed Bath and Beyond, said "it's always challenging" to make sure the store is ready on its projected opening date.

George said that the most difficult part of opening the store was dealing with the current construction in the area.

"Dealing with people and communicating," are key components for planning an opening of a new store, George said.

Bari Fagin, director of public relations for Bed Bath and Beyond, said that they were not able to disclose any information associated with the costs and operations of opening the new store and was only able to say "that we are happy to be there."

Most of the other stores on the strip will be open for business by the end of October.

Old Navy, Staples, and Petsmart will all be opening the week of Oct. 22, Poldiak said.

Best Buy will open for business at 10 a.m., said Justin Barber, Best Buy spokesperson.

Barber said the store will offer 30,000 square feet of space and will employ 100 people.

Banfield Pet Hospital is behind schedule and will be opening in November, Poldiak said.

In addition to those postponing their opening, Ross Dress for Less has made the corporate decision to open around April of next year, Poldiak said.

Panera Bread and Olive Garden purchased real estate in the same vicinity but have hired out separate contractors and are planning to open later than expected as well. Panera is scheduled to open on Dec. 14 and Olive Garden is slated to begin operations on Jan. 4.

So far, the $25 million investment has enjoyed success; all of the space in the shopping center was leased out before the development broke ground last fall, Poldiak said.

It is rare for shopping center to sell out its space filled immediately, Poldiak said. "This one was a bit unusual," he said.

Poldiak said that when they purchased the land adjacent to the mall, architects were consulted and plans were drawn up to optimize the space. New River Valley Mall Management has been working with

Richmond-based contractor EDC, which also built the new Regal Cinemas.

One of the most beneficial aspects of the project is the increased efficiency of traffic flow within the mall, Poldiak said. He said that the six-lane entrance and exit to and from the new center and mall will help ease traffic in the area.

In addition to the New River Valley Center, there will also be a new food court placed inside the New River Valley Mall, Poldiak said.

The new food court will be located where the three screens of the older theater were originally located. The other eight screens were

transformed into the New River Valley Community College, Poldiak said.

The former theater area will be cleared out and an open seating, Poldiak said. The first vendor, China Wok, will be in place by the end of the month.

Poldiak said the rest of the vendors within the food court will open for business by the day after Thanksgiving.