BIZNOTE: Another sign of Ross Dress For Less’s impending Westwood Village opening

| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | Westwood

ORIGINAL FRIDAY REPORT: Noticed today that the sign is up at the future Ross Dress For Less at Westwood Village, a year and a half after we first reported their plan for the former Barnes & Noble bookstore space (empty two years now). As the banner says, they’re currently hiring for the new store (search 98126 here and you’ll see the openings). We have a message out to a corporate spokesperson to see if they have an update on the opening timeframe.

ADDED MONDAY: We heard back from a corporate spokesperson who says the current expected grand opening date is March 6th.

A January 22, 2021 (1:49 pm)

Two crappy clothing stores are fine, but adding a restaurant with a bar, they will not allow. What terrible management.

East Coast Cynic January 22, 2021 (3:21 pm)

I think the lack of non-chain restaurants with a bar in WV has something to do with McDonalds or one of the other chains in the mall having a deal in place to not allow such competition. It’s too bad, for I suspect that having regular restaurants in the mall may discourage some of the hooligans from showing up, unlike McDonalds.
- just wondering January 22, 2021 (5:33 pm)
  
  I miss the “Red Baron” :( And the sandwich shop “Dutch Cup’?
  - Patience January 23, 2021 (6:10 am)
    
    Was it called Holland House?
- 1994 January 22, 2021 (10:14 pm)
  
  There was an independent restaurant called Market Eats or something similar. It was located right where the chicken Wing joint is currently located, which by the way is a locally owned restaurant.
  - WSB January 22, 2021 (10:19 pm)
    
    Eats Market Café (closed in 2015)
    https://westseattleblog.com/2015/07/west-seattle-restaurants-eats-market-cafe-closing-space-plans-show-wingstop-on-the-way/

Tomas January 22, 2021 (2:11 pm)

(Sigh) is a Marshalls on the other side of the mall not enough.

Buttercup January 22, 2021 (2:22 pm)

There is enough resturants at Westwood Village. We need a craft store, Southcenter and Federal Way to far to travel for supplies. Old Barnes and Noble not set up with a kitchen, this area could not support resturant that big.
- AMD January 22, 2021 (6:29 pm)
  
  Agree 100%! This would be a great location for a Michael’s.
- CC January 22, 2021 (6:59 pm)
  
  It’s small, but I buy many of my craft supplies at Northwest Art and Frame here in WS. Depends on what you make, I guess. Happy crafting!
  - RayWest January 24, 2021 (6:54 am)
    
    I love Northwest Art & Frame and would always get my art supplies there, but now I’ll have to pay for parking just to run in to get a few items. A Michaels is sounding better all the time.
JES January 22, 2021 (4:07 pm)

A lot of people who live in the area appreciate affordable options like this. Are you hoping for more gentrification ?
- WWV Person January 22, 2021 (8:22 pm)
  
  Ross sells clothes. Also, I’ve never found them to be so affordable that I feel the need to go out of my way to go to Ross. Target and Marshall’s sell clothes too. Ross will probably be the most unaffordable option. People also need a place to go for a burger and a beer (or whatever). Affordable would be even better! That space needs a restaurant or brewery or something. Could be more walkable too. Way too many nascar drivers in that parking lot.
- Barton January 24, 2021 (9:50 pm)
  
  And a lot of people in the area, as well as from Normandy Park to the south all the way to Admiral in north W Seattle, would appreciate and also shop and eat at WV if it offered a desirable selection of shops and restaurants in addition to the two large existing affordable apparel options. A ton of the places in WV are vacant because there are not enough appealing options to draw people in for anything other than a quick stop at Target.
  - RayWest January 25, 2021 (5:57 am)
    
    A big problem is WWV’s crazy layout and everything being too spread out. My main destination is usually Target or Bed, Bath & Beyond. Stores are so far apart, you either move your car or hike and zig-zag through traffic and parked cars to another destination, which is a pain when hauling large bags back to your vehicle. Very inconvenient. If you want to eat after shopping, it’s yet another hike, and, frankly, food options are mostly mediocre fast food. From what I’ve heard, Target deliberately maintains a separate footprint, which may help their bottom line but is not good for the overall mall. There needs to be a more cohesive and navigable plan.

B January 22, 2021 (3:04 pm)

I concur. It was sad to see B&N go, but I was excited they’d allow something cool to move in there. But freakin’ Ross? On top of Marhall’s? Right next to a Target? Come on!

RayWest January 26, 2021 (5:23 am)

A Nordstrom Rack would have been preferable to Ross.

aa January 22, 2021 (4:25 pm)

Maybe they didn’t have a lot of choice of businesses wanting to rent a large space. Sure doesn’t make sense in any other way.

RayWest January 23, 2021 (4:28 am)

Good point, AA. The rent on these huge retail spaces is extremely high and usually affordable only to the big chain stores that sell mediocre merchandise. Too bad this large space couldn’t have been broken into several smaller ones to allow a great variety of businesses. Having both a Ross and a Marshalls is just a big comedown for an already low-end shopping center. I was so excited when B&N and Pier One went in, along with BB&B. Now only BB&B is left, and they likely will not last. Target will probably always be there, but they are not the store they once were. Sad.

Emily L January 22, 2021 (4:34 pm)

Ill say, the deals at RD4L are just the best. I would love to see a Chilis come in or maybe an Outback, esp. if it has a bar.

Also John January 22, 2021 (5:31 pm)

I didn’t even know Outback was still around.

Erin Oliveira January 22, 2021 (5:04 pm)

Oh, how I wish Westwood could be a better shopping experience! Maybe a tree or two and an outside cafe. A place you could walk around and have lunch, with a variety of stores to choose from. To Westwood management: Build it and we will come!! (Why don’t they build it?!)I’m there a lot and I don’t see all the hooligans mentioned (although I do see the ominous security cameras). I see regular folks, expansive and often empty parking lots and a strip mall atmosphere. Sigh.

Auntie January 22, 2021 (9:06 pm)

Getting rid of the dripping, sappy tree over the bench outside the north entrance to the QFC might be a start. In the spring and summer, the bench is covered in drippy sap from that tree. I sat there once while waiting for my taxi and ruined the pants I had on that day. What where they thinking when they planted that??

Ross January 22, 2021 (9:30 pm)

Wondering how many people complaining about Ross going into WWV do more than 70% of their shopping on line.

RayWest January 23, 2021 (4:44 am)

I do a significant amount of my shopping online, but not clothes. It’s just too hard and inconvenient trying to find clothing that fits properly and are good quality (things tend to look better than they are in photos). It’s no fun having to return items, particularly if you have to pay for shipping. However, I will not shop at either Marshall’s or Ross, because their merchandise is such poor quality, as is most of Target’s and Fred Meyer’s. There’s no place place to buy good, affordable clothing in West Seattle, and traveling to the malls (either Southcenter or Northgate) is inconvenient and increasingly problematic.
Marshall January 23, 2021 (9:09 am)

Or maybe very little shopping at all, since Birkinstock and Patagonia are brands that tend to last longer than Phat Pharm and Echo.

anonyme January 23, 2021 (6:52 am)

Another nail in the coffin for Westwood Village. I do a lot of shopping online (especially during the pandemic) but would rather shop in person – if only there was a place to do so nearby.

Dede January 23, 2021 (3:12 pm)

When we first moved here, we went to WV all the time….Barnes and Noble, Pier 1, the health food store and, of course, Eats….which also meant we stopped by Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, QFC and Marshalls as needed. We rarely go anymore (even pre-pandemic). A bookstore would be fabulous, craftstore as well.