Students and Hanover residents should not hold their breath waiting for new shopping options in Hanover this summer.
According to Director of Real Estate Paul Olsen, the College-owned four-level shopping and office building next to Ben & Jerry's will not be completed until late September.
Dartmouth has not yet confirmed what businesses will fill all of the available spaces in the new complex. As of yesterday, Olsen could only verify that the women's clothing store Talbot's and Advest, an investment brokerage firm, will definitely move in once construction has finished.
Another 6,000 square feet have yet to be filled.
Although Olsen would not disclose the names of the specific businesses with which the College has been communicating, one prominent idea, he said, is to bring in a food and entertainment establishment.
"The hardest part has been to figure out who to offer space to," Olsen said. "It's hard to find something that people are going to like."
According to Olsen, the College has extended offers to only three stores. He explained that plans with other stores were slowed dramatically by almost six months of negotiations with clothing retailer Eddie Bauer, which eventually backed out in late May.
He said Eddie Bauer's decision to withdraw was not in line with other reactions to the new facility by business owners. In fact, Olsen said, "there are a lot of people looking for space in downtown Hanover, so it's really easy to find people to rent to."
The development is being constructed in conjunction with a four-level parking garage, of which two levels are underground. These two College-owned structures are located behind Rosey Jekes caf and clothing store.
