Upscale yoga apparel retailer Lululemon Athletica plans to open a store at Warehouse Row by year's end, becoming the third national company to move into the downtown Chattanooga center.
Lululemon will set up shop in 2,700 square feet that fronts Market Street and is adjacent to Anthropologie in the Row's North Building.
Kim White, who heads the nonprofit downtown redevelopment group River City Co., said Lululemon is coming at the right time as the central city attracts hundreds of new apartment units.
"It's a good fit," she said. "We don't have anything like that."
George Krauth, vice president and creative director of Warehouse Row owner Jamestown, said officials are pleased to see retailers like Lululemon investing in Chattanooga and recognizing the area's potential.
"In the past year alone, Warehouse Row has been a hub for downtown Chattanooga's enriched shopping and dining offerings," Krauth said.
White lauded Row officials for attracting national retailers while River City officials focus their efforts on regional and local companies.
"The fact that [Lululemon] chose to come here instead of at the mall says a lot," she said.
In spring 2014, the fast-growing designer and retailer opened a temporary showroom on the North Shore to display the brand's key offerings and hold in-store community fitness events, including complimentary monthly yoga classes.
The North Shore showroom will close following the Warehouse Row store's opening, according to Warehouse Row. Globally, Lululemon has more than 200 locations.
Late last year, national retailers J.Crew and Anthropologie, each offering apparel and accessories, opened units at the downtown retail and office center. Some in the city termed the move as a signal that Chattanooga's revived downtown has finally arrived on the radar of brands with nationwide reach.
Michael Phillips, chief operating officer for the company that bought the center in 2006, said that landing the pair of retailers was a "defining moment" for Warehouse Row and Chattanooga's urban revitalization.
J.Crew and Anthropologie were among the first retailers with national footprints to open non-outlet stores in downtown Chattanooga in decades, according to Jamestown. City officials said then they hoped the moves start a trend and reverse the exodus of household names such as Sears, JCPenney and Woolworth from the city's core.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.