From one shopping center to another

Published 7:00 pm Wednesday, February 4, 2015

WARRENTON — The new retail building anchored by T.J. Maxx added its first auxiliary tenant late last month, when Maurice’s opened its new location at 1479 S.E. Discovery Lane in the North Coast Retail Center, near Costco. Meanwhile, the Young’s Bay Plaza lost one of its largest tenants.

T.J. Maxx is still shooting for a store opening in early March, said Alec Paddock from Center Cal Properties, which runs several large shopping centers in the Portland Metro area and down the West Coast, Warrenton being one of its smaller projects.

“We turned it over to them a few weeks ago,” said Paddock. “They’re doing their tenant buildout on the inside.”

Maurices’ move, he said, leaves two to three retail spaces to fill in the 21,000-square foot building, although no other companies have signed on yet. “We’re talking to a couple of fashion and restaurant-type uses.”

The Youngs Bay Plaza, built in 1977, has now lost Wauna Federal Credit Union, Gannaway Brothers Jewelry and Maurices to newer buildings.

By Sept. 1, Farm Girl Frozen Yogurt closed at the plaza as its founders moved to Idaho. And the supposed replacement, FroYo’z, never materialized.

“We have a handful of new tenants we’re talking with,” said Jeff Olsen of RTG Property Management, adding that there are about five spaces available.

Plaza owner Atlas Investments looks at the vacancies as a chance to consolidate spaces and move stuff around, he said, and they’re planning a refresh of the buildings to go along with recent improvements at Fred Meyer.

Olson said he doesn’t see the North Coast Retail Center as competition for the Youngs Bay Plaza. “The retailers in general like to be in markets where there are other large, successful retailers. It makes other retailers take a look at Warrenton.”