BRANSON — In 89 days, the public will get its first shop-and-stroll on Branson Landing.

After six years of planning and building, Branson Landing will have its retail opening on Friday, May 26.

More than 400 workers are finishing construction on the 95-acre downtown lakefront site. Other crews are finishing interiors for the tenants. About 23 in-fills are under way, with more beginning each day.

“This is when we’ll start seeing glass, storefronts and signs,” said Jason Westrope, on-site project manager for Urban Retail Properties Co., the Chicago firm in charge of leasing. “This is what we call ‘Sticking the Landing.’”

Because the construction site is closed to the public, shoppers are curious and excited to get their first glimpse.

“If I don’t make it on opening day, I’ll be there the next day,” said well-dressed shopper Judy Berkstresser, who is Stone County clerk and a former state representative. On second thought, she said, “Friday evening is a great time to shop.”

She’s especially looking forward to fashion stores Ann Taylor Loft and Chico’s.
“Chico’s speaks my language,” Berkstresser said. “They have terrific accessories, and that really makes your outfit.”

Berkstresser said the mall close to home will work with her strategy of shopping for sale items.

“I drop in often,” Berkstresser said. “You either have to have a lot of money or you have to spend a lot of time, because it takes a lot of time to save money. It’s just like a man when he hunts. There are seasons you hunt and times when you do it, so I guess I’d call it a sport.”

Branson Landing has space for about 100 stores and restaurants. About 80 percent will open in May, with more openings continuing for months, said marketing director Linda Antus. Belk department store will open April 5, Bass Pro Shops opens in June. The Hilton Promenade Hotel opens in October. A second Hilton Hotel and the Branson Convention Center will open next door in 2007.
“The energy level’s really getting up there,” Westrope said. He has no doubts about making the May opening. This is his fifth opening of an Urban Retail shopping center in six years.

CHARM ABOUNDS
The curving design of Branson Landing and the four themed districts will intrigue shoppers, Westrope said. The design eliminates the potential disorientation shoppers may suffer in big-box malls.

“Every step of the way, there’s something to discover,” he said.

That includes Town Square, with its $8 million fountain by Wet Design, the California company that built the extraordinary fountains at Las Vegas’ Bellagio hotel. Wet Design also created the fountains in the lake near the town plaza. The boardwalk curves into the lake, so people may circle the fountains that will shoot water and flames timed to music.

WHAT’S HAPPENING
Branson Landing is packed with construction workers from the ground up to the fourth floor of the condominiums above the shops. They use more kinds of backhoes, diggers and drills than a layperson can identify.

“I can work four hours on the right side of the project and go back to the left side, and it’s all changed,” said carpenter foreman Robert Hughes. In 24 years of construction, Hughes, who commutes from Marionville, said this is his biggest and most impressive project.

There is no straight view from one end of the shopping center to the other, making it seem endless. Variety is everywhere from roof styles to woodwork, brick and stone. The boardwalk is nearly completed. The fountains are in place. And 30 workers laid irrigation lines for the hundreds of trees and thousands of plants to go in.

At least two of the tenants—Famous Dave’s Barbecue and Sullivan’s—will spend $1 million readying the inside of their restaurants.

“A million dollars sounds like a lot, but for these people, it’s not as much as you might think,” Westrope said. “In order to meet their market expectations, they have to put on a pretty neat experience. And it gives you an indicator of how they value the market.”

MARKET DEMAND
About 80 percent of the shop’s stores will open in May, but other well-known national tenants are waiting in the wings, Westrope said.

Many new malls open with 60 percent occupancy, Westrope said.

“Anytime you get 75 to 80 percent, it’s kind of special,” Westrope said. “There are some large players who still haven’t signed deals yet and are very eager to. What we see now is a lot of tenants coming to the table saying, ‘Wow. This was a dirt mound a year ago, and now, it’s a place.’”

Retailers’ confidence also has been bolstered because the shopping center’s developer is a Branson resident, he said, referring to Rick Huffman, president of HCW Development Co.

“It’s a nice partnership with a local developer who’s extremely entrepreneurial,” Westrope said.

RETAIL VARIETY
Branson Landing isn’t all national tenants. Missouri is represented with The Bud Shop carrying products of Anheuser-Busch. There’s the Cardinals Clubhouse with all things St. Louis Cardinals.

And Branson entrepreneurs Dan and Claudia Rovell were among the first in line for a lease to open Branson Quilts in the Landing. They also own Ozark Mountain Quilts in the Factory Merchants Mall and the IMAX Complex. They moved to Branson in 1996 after selling an antique mall in Shreveport, La.
Dan Rovell said he’d seen the success of stores in other lakefront malls including San Antonio’s Riverwalk.

“I had no hesitancy about jumping on the bandwagon,” Rovell said. And his location is right across from Bass Pro Shop.

“While the guys are shopping there, their wives will see our shop, and say, ‘Honey, I’ll be over there.’”

The mix is nice for tourists who won’t see simply the same retailers they may have in their hometowns. “And it’s nice for people who live here because they’ll get these (national tenants) in their back yard,” Westrope said.

BUSINESS DOWNTOWN
Initially, there was concern among retailers in the historic downtown shopping district next to the Landing about the impact of new competition. Roger Edney, who owns buildings downtown, said he now sees people looking for downtown sites to be near Branson Landing. Edney has restored the vintage storefronts on some of his rental buildings, and others are upgrading their properties.

The Downtown Branson Main Street Association recently opened the Branson History Project Museum. Association members also are seeking the best system to transport people the three blocks uphill from Branson Landing.

“I think people will enjoy the downtown and the history of the town,” Edney said. “My question is, ‘What are we doing to make it attractive to the new clients coming in?’ It just depends on how successful you want to be.”