Best Buy opens long-awaited Issaquah store
November 20, 2010
NEW — 9:45 a.m. Nov. 20, 2010
Best Buy opens at 10 a.m. Saturday — just in time for the holiday shopping rush.
The store, located near Fred Meyer in the East Lake Center plaza along East Lake Sammamish Parkway Southeast, stretches across almost 40,000 square feet.
The store offers familiar Best Buy services, including the Geek Squad tech support team.
Best Buy started hiring employees for the store in early October.
The store occupies the former La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries and Pacific Fabrics spaces. In February, Best Buy — headquartered in Richfield, Minn. — announced plans to open a store in Issaquah. La-Z-Boy closed in June.
Best Buy clears permit hurdle
August 17, 2010
The city has OK’d a part of a plan to turn vacant storefronts into electronics retailer Best Buy.
City planners approved the initial permit to modify the former La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries and Pacific Fabrics spaces along East Lake Sammamish Parkway Southeast. The city announced the approval Aug. 11.
Best Buy plans to use 38,830 square feet of the available 45,440 square feet for a store. The leftover space will remain available for a future tenant.
Besides changes to the interior, the project calls for revisions to the delivery and service driveway, and loading dock, behind the building. The plan also includes modifications to the building exterior.
The plan does not include any proposed changes to the parking lot or the access from the retail center and the road.
The applicant has requested additional signage for the store. The city plans to handle the signage issue as a separate permit.
Planners continue to review separate permits for interior and exterior alterations, plus proposed public works changes.
In February, Best Buy — headquartered in Richfield, Minn. — announced plans to open a store in Issaquah. La-Z-Boy closed in June.
City planners mull Best Buy permit
July 20, 2010
The planned Best Buy at East Lake Center inched closer to reality earlier this month, as city planners started reviewing a permit application from the electronics chain.
Best Buy seeks to remodel the former La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries in the shopping center along East Lake Sammamish Parkway Southeast.
Plans call for Best Buy to occupy the former furniture store and the long-empty Pacific Fabrics space. The store should open by early 2011.
Best Buy has proposed to modify the front of the building, as well as the truck-loading dock in the back. In order to accommodate the updated delivery area, the chain has proposed added landscaping to the north, east and west sides of the building.
In February, Best Buy — headquartered in Richfield, Minn. — announced plans to open a store in Issaquah. La-Z-Boy closed last month.
City planners mull Best Buy proposal
July 8, 2010
NEW — 10 a.m. July 8, 2010
The planned Best Buy at East Lake Center inched closer to reality Wednesday, as city planners started reviewing a permit application from the electronics chain.
Best Buy seeks to remodel the former La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries in the shopping center along East Lake Sammamish Parkway Southeast.
Plans call for Best Buy to occupy the former furniture store and the long-empty Pacific Fabrics space. The store should open by early 2011.
Best Buy has proposed to modify the front of the building, as well as the truck loading dock in the back. In order to accommodate the updated delivery area, the chain has proposed added landscaping to the north, east and west sides of the building.
In February, Best Buy — headquartered in Richfield, Minn. — announced plans to open a store in Issaquah. La-Z-Boy closed at the site last month.
Best Buy to replace La-Z-Boy
June 8, 2010
La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries along East Lake Sammamish Parkway Southeast will close by early July in the busy East Lake Center shopping complex anchored by Fred Meyer and The Home Depot. La-Z-Boy will clear out merchandise in a closeout sale.
But the space might not be empty for long. National electronics retailer Best Buy plans to open a store in the fall or early next year in the La-Z-Boy space and in the former Pacific Fabrics space next door. Best Buy and city officials announced the plan in February.
Furniture store relocates, new businesses open
May 11, 2010
Leathers Home Furnishings & Accessories, the longtime Northwest Gilman Boulevard furniture store, will soon relocate to the former Linens-N-Things storefront in Pickering Place.
Owner Mitch Setlow said he plans to open the new Leathers by May 15 and, for the next several weeks, run a closeout sale from both the Pickering Place and Gilman Square locations. Setlow plans to close the original Leathers in June.
“We’re not going, we’re growing,” he said.
The store will depart the 8,000-square-foot Gilman Square location after 14 years for the 37,500-square-foot Linens-N-Things space. Linens-N-Things closed after liquidators shut down the bankrupt chain in late 2008.
Leathers, as the name implies, offers high-end leather furniture. Setlow said the store also plans to offer mattresses and bedroom furniture, dining room pieces and additional accessories in the larger space.
The store planted a red-and-black balloon on the store roof to announce the closure. Expect to see the balloon on the roof at Pickering Place, too, as the relocated Leathers welcomes shoppers.
Retail giants plan Issaquah stores
February 16, 2010
Sports Authority, Best Buy coming soon
Sports Authority will open a store in the Northwest Gilman Boulevard space last occupied by Joe’s — the defunct sporting goods chain — by late spring.
Meanwhile, Best Buy plans to open a store in the former Pacific Fabrics space along East Lake Sammamish Parkway Southeast.
Best Buy — headquartered in Richfield, Minn. — plans to open the Issaquah store in the fall or early next year, company spokeswoman Jill Nezworski said. City Senior Planner Jerry Lind said city officials continue to work alongside Best Buy to resolve signage issues before the electronics retailer opens a store there.
Sports Authority — based in Englewood, Colo. — operates several stores in the Puget Sound region, with the Crossroads Mall store in Bellevue as the closest outpost to Issaquah.
Press Editorial
June 30, 2009
Have we seen the end of the big wave of business closures in Issaquah? We can only hope so. Read more
