Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05
February 1, 2007 issue
Story by Sam Calhoun
H.L. Libby, the Pennsylvania-based company that purchased the Boone Mall in June 2005, is continuing to make improvements to the 24-year-old structure.
According to H.L. Libby spokesperson Barry Nicholson, the space next to Blue Ridge Vision that is currently under construction will house Panera Bread Company, a franchise that specializes in fresh-baked breads and made-to-order sandwiches. Construction on the new restaurant is roughly halfway finished and it is expected to open by spring 2007, although Nicholson said the franchise is coordinating the official opening date. For more information about the Panera Bread Company, click to www.panerabread.com/.
Rumors have circulated that H.L. Libby was looking at purchasing land beside the mall, perhaps to build a movie theater, but Nicholson would not confirm or deny the rumor.
“We are always talking to different tenants, but we don’t discuss potential tenants until we have signed documentation,” said Nicholson. “At different times, we’ve had different properties under option but nothing has come to a head.”
Nicholson said that the reason the candy store left the mall was “just a tenant decision,” and that the space will be “backfilled very shortly.”
Other improvements include new flooring installed in all the common areas of the mall and a new façade for J.C. Penny that has now been completed.
H.L. Libby, based in Warrendale, Penn., owns and manages more than 3 million square feet of retail centers. The company has current projects in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana, in addition to the project in Boone.
For more information about the scope of H.L. Libby’s plan for the Boone Mall, click to www.hllibbycorp.com/pdf/BooneMall.pdf.