New wing of North Shore Mall to open next week

PEABODY – As of next Tuesday, longtime shoppers of the Northshore Mall will hardly be able to recognize their favorite retail venue.The once purple and turquoise color themed mall has undergone dramatic structural and aesthetic changes over the last two years, most notably the construction of the new luxury Nordstrom Wing, which opens to the public for the first time next week.The new wing expansion will occupy nearly 165,000 square feet and be the new home of 25-30 retailers, including Zara, Sephora, White House Black Market, and Swarvoski. It will also feature upscale amenities, such as hotel-quality restrooms, family changing rooms, an ATM, vending options, and a leisure section with carpeting and chairs.”This is a huge step up from what we’ve been able to offer our customers in years past,” said mall manager Mark Whiting. “It’ll be almost like an island of tranquility.”Retailers will open on their own time schedule, although most are expected to be ready for shoppers before the end of the year. Nordstrom, which will take up 135,000 square feet, however, is slated for completion sometime this spring. In the meantime, guests can familiarize themselves with what’s to come.PF Chang’s China Bistro will open its doors to customers as early as Monday, Nov. 3. The restaurant will seat 252 people, to whom they’ll serve a variety of Chinese classics in family-style portions.Popular men’s and women’s clothing store H&M also opens up their two-story, 20,000 square foot store later in the month.”We’ll be working like elves in the night,” quipped Whiting about finishing up any loose ends before Tuesday. By Halloween, he expects the entire food court renovation project, including new ceiling light fixtures, modern furniture, and revamped restrooms; the installation of new tile flooring throughout the mall’s center, as well as carpeting at various rest areas; and interior landscaping to be completed.Exterior upgrades, including trees, shrubs, flowering perennials, sidewalks, stone walls, signage, and additional parking spaces, all fall under the Nov. 4 deadline.New this year is a parking program that promotes conserving energy through carpooling. Those traveling with four or more guests in one car are given the choice to park closer to the mall in reserved spaces, similar to parking reserved for the handicap.A family play area will be located in front of the new Macy’s interior entrance, something Whiting, a father of a 3-year-old, is quite excited about. He said the “brand new, state of the art” area really shows the mall’s “tremendous commitment to families.”And to show their commitment to the neighboring community, two stop lights were recently installed off Prospect Street to help alleviate traffic woes.”It wasn’t one of those sexy improvements, but an important one,” he quipped, adding that neighbors have already seen the benefits.Not only has the mall’s expansion brought a variety of shopping and dining options to the community, but many job opportunities, as well.”At the time when the economy is struggling, this has been one of the largest construction projects on the North Shore,” said Whiting.According to the mall manager, over 250,000 man-hours have been put into the $80 million renovation, all of which was performed by local union workers. Whiting later said that roughly 3,500 people come to work in the mall each day, and the new wing will increase that number by at least 25 percent.He acknowledged the cooperation of the city to help move things along so much so that they are a year ahead of schedule.”It really has been a very strong collaborative effort,” he said.