The Shops at Northfield sees 8.5 million visitors a year. Since its opening in 2006, the shopping area has watched stores come and go. In the next few years, there are big changes ahead with national retailers like Wayfair joining the northeast Denver shopping destination. The area will also feature more areas for families and better ways for pedestrians to get around.
There are some big changes coming to The Shops at Northfield. Some plans are known, like the 140,000-square-foot Wayfair retail space that will replace the closed Macy’s store. The retailer, which is known primarily as an online marketplace, will feature 19 departments, including furniture, appliances, and décor. And Life Time, a 103,000-square-foot luxury athletic club, will go into the former JCPenney location.
What remains unconfirmed is the soon-to-be-named specialty grocery store planned for the area. BusinessDen and The Denver Business Journal have reported that Trader Joe’s is coming to the area next to Old Navy.. But Don Cloutier, general manager of Stockdale Capital Partners, which owns The Shops at Northfield, said there’s only so much he can and will say about it.
“It’ll be a new building, and it’ll be on the east side. Short of that, we’re still not able to say much. We’re in the planning and permitting stage. We have a signed lease, and so that’s where we need to leave it for now,” Cloutier said. He added that it’s up to the grocery owner to make the announcement.
But that’s not happening yet. When asked, Nakia Rohde, public relations manager for Trader Joe’s, said: “We are actively looking at hundreds of neighborhoods across the country as we hope to open more new neighborhood stores each year. At this time, we do not have a new location confirmed in Denver.”
“I think patience is going to be key,” Cloutier said about the changes and work ahead. “We will be thrilled to see construction begin in both of the anchor stores, Wayfair and Life Time. There’s permitting ahead along with design and work on both exteriors and interiors. It’s a very fundamental change of use from JCPenney to Life Time. That’s a big lift. Wayfair will move along quite a bit quicker, and so we’ll be very excited to see activity there.”
In addition, Cloutier said more announcements are on the way. “There are a few more in the hopper that I can’t really share right now. We’ll be shortening timelines between announcements. It all kind of culminates in 2027, with everybody open and operating and thriving,” he said.
A rendering of what The Shops at Northfield will look like in the future with more trees, new businesses, and pedestrian friendly areas.
The changes are a long time coming for the shopping area, which opened in 2006. Back then, Cloutier said, “you looked around and the homes weren’t there. They were all on the south side [of Central Park]. You had the retailers open up, but they didn’t quite have the community there to serve.”
Stockdale Capital Partners purchased The Shops at Northfield in 2022 and have since been working on deals behind the scenes to bring in new businesses. There was also work on the infrastructure, including roofs and parking lots.
“We’re just a mile north of the light rail,” Cloutier said. “We’ve worked very hard to try to curate this 15-minute kind of walkable, livable community and city in the hub of what is a massive master planned community itself. We’re a microcosm of Central Park, and we’re going to bust our butt to make sure that everybody sees and feels that, and we provide just the most relevant stores and opportunities to enjoy.”
It’s a time of transition for the shopping area, and one that Cloutier hopes will help meet the needs of the area and solve the shopping puzzle. People are excited about it, too. He said every restaurant opening brings enthusiasm from the community.
There are also people who express disappointment when they don’t get what they want, if social media traffic is any indication. The rumor that Dick’s Sporting Goods would go into the Macy’s space—a rumor that turned out to be unfounded—left some people disappointed. Many others, however, were excited about the Wayfair store.
The management team pays attention to all of the reactions through the Facebook group postings and online comments from people who think they know what’s coming, Cloutier said.
The community input helps management stay relevant with the right mix of stores and public spaces for families. Families are at the center of the project that next year will begin transforming a portion of the shopping complex’s Main Street into a pedestrian-only park with a green central lawn.
Events will still be there, including the Denver Century Ride cycling tour, the Halloween festival, and ice sculpting. They’ll go alongside new outdoor dining patios, common consumption areas, and communal seating zones.
And also planned are The Shops at Northfield Apartments: three multi-family residential buildings along with green space in the area from Northfield Blvd. to 47th Ave, and Verbena St. to Willow St. The project has zoning approval from the City, but there’s a lot of work ahead.
Those apartment residents will be part of the customer base, but Cloutier knows the new stores will also bring in people from across the metro area. The Shops at Northfield sees 8.5 million annual visitors a year.
Many of those visits come from current residents of Central Park. Cloutier lives in the neighborhood, too, and has spoken at Central Park United Neighborhood ( CPUN) monthly meetings. Residents are always welcome to ask questions and get information.
Liz Stalnaker, CPUN president, said she appreciates The Shops at Northfield “being a good partner in the neighborhood who is listening to the community.”
Renderings courtesy of Stockdale Capital Partners
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