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Mall expansion ready to explore

By S.I. ROSENBAUM
Published March 2, 2007

Somewhere in this fresh, gleaming space, a toddler will have his first tantrum.

Mothers and daughters will fight over necklines. Young couples will meet, fall in love, break up.

It will all happen here, in the new 160,000-square-foot wing of the Westfield Brandon mall, which opened Thursday with 13 new stores.

"This is not just a shopping center," said mall spokeswoman Taylor Clifton, as she stood in the empty, almost-finished wing. "This is a reflection of how far the community has come, from cow pastures to this."

She pointed at the shiny new flooring. "The cows were right here!" she exclaimed.

The new wing, which cost $60-million to build, boasts soaring ceilings and lots of natural light. The biggest store, at 45,000 square feet, is Dick's sporting goods, which will feature an indoor climbing wall. Other stores include Coldwater Creek clothing store, Quicksilver surfing clothes, Cache clothing store, Fossil watches, Clarks shoes, the Walking Co., and Books-A-Million.

For people fatigued from all that shopping, there's also a family lounge the size of a small apartment. Families can rest, children can watch movies on a big-screen TV, and mothers with infants can retire to curtained alcoves to nurse.

Children can also play outside, where a footbridge crosses a fountain and the Cheesecake Factory offers outdoor seating.

On Wednesday, workers scurried to stock shelves and put the finishing touches on storefronts with names like distant lands: Teavana, Sephora, Swarovski.

The next day, customers would pour in and turn this into a place where people meet, squabble, gossip, love and fight.

Now, however, mall music floated in the emptiness. Shirts glowed, folded on display. A workman shined one of the windows.

"I can't wait," Clifton said. "I can't wait."

S.I. Rosenbaum can be reached at 661-2442 or srosenbaum@sptimes.com.

Fast Facts:

New store lineup

A look at some of the new stores:

Abercrombie, kids' clothing**

Books-A-Million**

Cache, women's sportswear

Clarks, footwear

Coldwater Creek, women's clothes and accessories

Crush Tan Spa**

Dick's Sporting Goods*

Fossil, wristwatches

Gymboree**

Lucky Brand Jeans**

Quicksilver, surf wear

Sephora, fragrance and cosmetics

Swarovski, crystal

Solstice Sunglass Boutique

Swim 'N Sport, women's swimwear

Teavana, teas

The Walking Co., footwear

White House Black Market, women's boutique**

*Opening later this month

**Opening later this spring

[Last modified March 1, 2007, 07:48:49]