College Mall under major renovation

The College Mall is currently undergoing major changes including massive construction work as well as additions of new stores inside.\n"This construction is a good thing for the College Mall," said Dena Marrietta, director of College Mall's marketing. "We're excited about the new stores that we will be adding." \nOf the new stores and store locations announced thus far, the biggest is the addition of Dick's Sporting Goods. It will occupy 50,000 square feet of space in the mall, according to a Simon Properties press release. It will be located in the area formerly occupied by the College Mall cinema, MCL Cafeteria and part of the Lazarus department store.\nThe sports store is adding more shops across Indiana and will feature apparel and equipment from sports ranging from basketball to paintball. The store will also have some interactive features including a driving range, running track, archery and paintball lane. It is anticipated to open in 2005. \nJeff Hellion, the vice president of finances for Dick's Sporting Goods, was contacted about the stores opening, but couldn't comment due to the nature of fair disclosure laws. \n"Dick's is really coming into the market with a lot of force and we think that Bloomington, with its many recreational opportunities, will be a perfect fit with this store," said Les Morris, a spokesperson for Simon Properties.\nLensCrafters will be moving to L.S. Ayers temporarily and will open a new store near Dick's in early 2005. LensCrafters offers services such as eye exams and glasses repair and retail.\nKay Jewelers is another store using the summer months to make some changes to their College Mall location. Kay Jewelers will be opening a newly remodeled and enlarged store that will include a portion of their current store and will add the space previously filled by The Great American Cookie Company. Kay Jewelers will move to a temporary location in the mall this summer and will reopen in their newly remodeled store before the holidays. \nCollege Mall will also be constructing a new main entrance. The entrance's construction will be completed around March 2005. Bloomington residents can also expect a few more restaurant options around the main entrance, which will be announced in the upcoming months. \n"College Mall is constantly looking for new stores and options that will be compatible for Bloomington shoppers," Morris said.\nCollege Mall is located at 2894 East Third St. and has over 90 specialty stores. \n-- Contact staff writer Michael Pieper at mnpieper@indiana.edu.