Don't look for an Eddie Bauer in Hanover anytime soon. Directors of the large development that is being built next to Ben and Jerry's in downtown Hanover -- who had originally thought the building would house the popular clothing store -- now say that any such plans are defunct.
"I would say we talked for almost six months to Eddie Bauer and that didn't work," Paul Olsen, director of real estate at the College, said yesterday. "They decided not to come to Hanover."
He added that because of the time spent negotiating with Eddie Bauer, opportunities with alternative prospective tenants were also lost.
"There are a lot of people looking for space in downtown Hanover, so it's really easy to find people to rent to, but it's hard to find something that people are going to like," Olsen said.
Olsen said plans are concrete to house an outlet of the chain clothing store Talbot's, along with an investment brokerage called Advest. Talbot's will be located in the interior of the development and will have the most "frontage" space on Lebanon Street, Olsen said.
Another 6,000 square feet of space remain to be filled, said Olsen, adding that discussions with various retailers -- including gallery owners, clothing stores, and furnishing stores -- have been conducted, though he would not release any details about prospective merchants.
Olsen said that the development harbors a courtyard which is unique to Hanover and that in his mind, "a restaurant would be great" in that site. He said however, that there are zoning issues regarding the use of the entire courtyard space for a restaurant.
Construction for the development -- which is supposed to be finished at the end of the summer -- is on schedule for the most part, Olsen said, though he did add that there are "a couple of pieces that have slipped a little bit."
"It's a pretty special space -- it's going to be a very nice place," Olsen said, adding that during the process of deciding which retailers to rent space to, he welcomes any suggestions from students.
