Retail space in which the word “outdoors” once meant patios and decks will soon be dedicated to hunting and fishing gear.
Wolverine Guns and Tackle has committed to lease about 10,000 square feet of the former Kitchen & Patio premises in Red Deer County’s Liberty Crossing, confirmed Doug Grinde, a sales associate with Barclay Street Real Estate Ltd. — the leasing agent for the building.
Wolverine operated in Yellowknife for several years before closing in January.
Owner Brian Rendell told Northern News Services soon after that he planned to relocate the business to Red Deer.
“They’re going to be open sometime in the next 45 to 60 days I would think,” said Grinde.
Kitchen & Patio was one of five furniture stores that operated out of the 55,000-square-foot building southwest of Red Deer, with the others Lane Home Furnishings, The Bedroom Shoppe, The Living Room and Ashley Furniture HomeStore.
Lane Home Furnishings, which was part of Kitchen & Patio, disappeared early last year.
The Bedroom Shoppe and The Living Room, which had common ownership, ceased operations in June.
Kitchen & Patio followed suit in July, although it continues to operate in Calgary.
Ashley Furniture HomeStore is now the only tenant in the building.
That could change soon, said Grinde. In addition to Wolverine, there are other prospective tenants.
“We’ve got activity on all the remaining space right now, from a lease perspective. We have offers on over half of the remaining space and interest in the rest.”
Some of that interest comes from businesses not involved in the furniture industry, he said.
As with the former Kitchen & Patio bay, it’s likely that other areas of the building will be partitioned to suit tenants’ needs, said Grinde.
“It’s kind of a jigsaw puzzle right now.”
Barclay Street Real Estate is also seeking tenants for another building nearby. Grinde thinks he’s close to inking a conditional deal for the entire 9,400-square-foot premises.
“We’re dealing with one tenant for the whole building,” he said, adding that this potential renter would involve a “service use.”
hrichards@www.reddeeradvocate.com