Olympian file photo
The downtown Wind Up Here store is a mecca for toy lovers such as Aberdeen resident Tovi Barclay, who said she has been shopping at the store for years.

Wind Up Here wraps up mall store

Store opened in wake of quake; owner happy with city's response

CHRIS CLOUGH, THE OLYMPIAN

OLYMPIA -- The owners of toy haven Wind Up Here have opted to shelve their west-side store after about nine months.

Chris Gowdey, co-owner of the longtime downtown toy store, said Wind Up Here Too at Westfield Shoppingtown Capital mall was opened in the wake of the Nisqually Earthquake.

"We made the decision to have a second store after the quake because of both the bridge closure and the Deschutes Parkway closure," Gowdey said.

"The feeling was uncertain as to how quickly access from west Olympia to downtown would improve, and we wanted to have a temporary location for those access reasons."

Gowdey said the west-side mall fit the bill, and Wind Up Here Too opened in April.

Taking another look

As downtown bounced back, however, Wind Up Here re-evaluated keeping the second store open.

"The city worked very quickly to get the temporary bridge built and in a time frame that was better than we could have hoped for," Gowdey said. "At the point in time the bridge opened in July, we were doing well at the mall and feeling good about our decision to have a second store. It made sense to keep it open through the holidays."

Gowdey said the second store was a success but that, in the end, it was too much of a drain.

"We have a high standard as to our level of service and given those expectations, we didn't have the resources to provide that in two locations," Gowdey said. "At times, the mall store had to be open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., and that is a challenge for any small operation to staff at a level that meets our standard of service."

The lease ran through the end of the year and was extended through January.

"The extra month gave us time for the transition and to move out," Gowdey said.

The mall store closed Jan. 13.

"We're under one roof again and feeling really good about the transition," she said. "We learned an awful lot if we decide to pursue a second store again in the future."

Mall openings

The departure of Wind Up Here Too leaves the mall with three open slots.

"Our vacancy rate is about 3 percent," said Jim Boyde, manager of the mall. "And we have stores about to move in."

Those stores include Far East, which specializes in Asian gifts, and two that are in the final stage of lease negotiations, Boyde said.

He said it's typical to have some turnover after the holiday shopping season.

"There are two kinds of tenants: long-term, permanent stores -- generally national retailers -- with five- to 10-year leases," Boyde said. "Then there are temporary tenants, which Wind Up Here fell under, that might have an agreement for 12 months but it's really a month-to-month lease."

Boyde said four out of the mall's 96 spaces are of the temporary sort and that carts and most kiosks also fall under this type of agreement.

During the holiday season, the number of carts can swell to between 30 and 40, while at other times of the year there can be fewer than 10.

"There are a few stores that did the exact same thing as Wind Up Here," Boyde said. "They look at it as a seasonal thing and if we have spaces that are between permanent tenants, they are more than welcome here."

Boyde said his mall, and those throughout the country, seek national retailers.

"The proliferation of national retailers gives malls stability," Boyde said. "But we set aside 10 percent to 20 percent of the space to get tenants that have a local flavor."

The 3 percent vacancy rate does not include the department store sites, such as the space that once housed Lamonts.

But Boyde said last month that there is something in the works for that site and that an announcement could be forthcoming.

Thursday, he said there is no movement to report.

"Stay tuned. There's no development that I can speak to, but stay tuned," Boyde said.

Wind Up Here

- Location: 121 Fifth Ave. S.E., Olympia

- Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday

- Telephone: 360-943-9045

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