29th street mall brings new retail options for students

Boulder’s city center will no longer be a pile of dirt once the construction of Twenty Ninth Street, Boulder’s newest outdoor retail district, is finished.

Twenty Ninth Street is located on 29th Street between Arapahoe and Walnut and is scheduled to open on October 13, coinciding with CU’s parent weekend. According to twentyninth.com, the entire space measures 850,000 square feet of retail space with 3,664 parking spaces.

“Twenty Ninth Street is a beautiful open air environment featuring terraces, plazas and outdoor gathering spaces,” said Lain Adams, the senior property manager for Twenty Ninth Street, in an e-mail. “Twenty Ninth Street is a nearby choice to spend an afternoon unwinding.”

Students will be able to enjoy the offerings that Twenty Ninth Street will provide because it is less than a quarter mile from campus and connected by the Boulder Creek Trail.

The outdoor stores will offer different options than Pearl Street does for its locals.

“Larger stores like Home Depot, Century Theaters and Wild Oats Market differentiate Twenty Ninth Street from downtown Boulder, but together we compliment each other with a wide variety of choices for Boulder residents and guests,” Adams said.

With larger stores, restaurants and entertainment options, Twenty Ninth Street makes finding a job for students a little easier too.

“We expect 2,300 persons will be employed at Twenty Ninth Street. In early fall we will be hosting a hiring fair to introduce our merchants to prospective employees,” Adams said.

Students will be able to attend the fair and visit with merchants, some of which have never been seen in Boulder before.

“Twenty Ninth Street is a one-of-kind shopping and entertainment district that features some of the most exciting retailers in the country,” Adams said.

Some retailer highlights that Boulderites can look forward to seeing are The Territory Ahead, Francesca’s Collection, lucy, Z Gallerie and White House/Black Market.

The Territory Ahead offers functional outdoor clothing for men and women. This store has “personality through special fabrics, fine details, and easy, wearable designs,” according to their Web site.

Francesca’s Collection carries accessories and jewelry for women.

lucy is an workout clothing store for women. It “specializes in providing women with a clever mix of active-wear, featuring a selection from niche brands like Splendid and OMgirl, as well as traditional performance brands like Nike and Adidas, combined with clothing from the exclusive lucy label,” said the Twenty Ninth Street Web site.

Z Gallerie offers chic, affordable home accessories and furniture.

“At Z Gallerie, home decorating enthusiasts can uncover the smartest designs in living room, dining room and bedroom furniture, bedding, window treatments and rugs, tabletop accessories, lighting and attractive accessories from around the world,” Twenty Ninth Street said on its Web site.

Shades of black and white can be found at Twenty Ninth’s appropriately named White House/Black Market location. They sell clothing, accessories, jewelry, gifts and more.