The Latest Developments

October 2006
Costco is is getting vertical. The foundation is poured and the walls are going up. 

Starbucks is open!

Chilis has completed exterior construction.

Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que has staked their claim across the from Chili's.  This restaurant took top honors for their famous ribs and coleslaw at Taste of the Chamber earlier this month.

Famous Dave’s of America, Inc. develops, owns, operates and franchises barbeque restaurants. The legendary pit-smoked BBQ has won more than 200 awards, including best ribs, best take-out and best barbecue joint.  The company currently owns 38 locations and franchises 80 additional units in 29 states and has signed development agreements for an additional 172 franchised locations. Its menu features barbequed and grilled meats, a selection of salads, side items, sandwiches and unique desserts.

U.S. Bank has almost finished their structure close to the main entrance of the shopping center.

September 2006
Costco is preparing to break ground. Just to the south of the Sears Grand department store, work is beginning on the Costco Wholesale Warehouse.  Costco operates membership warehouses based on the concept that offering members low prices on a limited selection of nationally branded and selected private label products in a wide range of merchandise categories will produce high sales volumes. The company has built a reputation for catering to more well-heeled customers and has built success in offering a product range that includes a focus on value-priced luxury goods.  Costco currently operates 461 warehouses across the globe, including 339 in the United States and Puerto Rico, and 65 in Canada.

Chili's, Daveco Liquors, and Starbucks coming soon to  Larkridge at Interstate 25 and Colorado 7 in Thornton, CO. Daveco will be the state's largest liquor store, with an extensive wine cellar, cigar collection and humidor, and a wide variety of beer and liquors.  

Chili's Grill & Bar is a chain of over 1,000 casual dining restaurants, mostly located in the United States. It is owned by Brinker International, based in Dallas, Texas, which also owns On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina, Maggiano's Little Italy, Romano's Macaroni Grill, and Rockfish Seafood Grill.

Chili's opened its first location in 1975. It now has locations in 49 U.S. states and 23 countries. Chili's opened its 1,000th restaurant on August 3, 2004.

January 2006
Good Times is now open in Larkridge. The Colorado-based fast food restaurant joins Sears Grand, Home Depot, Circuit City, and Dick’s Sporting Goods in the regional retail center.

Boyd Hoback, President and CEO, said "We are excited about the long-term prospects of the Larkridge location in the heart of the highest growth corridor in Colorado. Thousands of new homes are in development supported by a very dynamic retail environment and this is an important trade area for continued penetration in our core market."

Good Times Burgers & Frozen Custard has 44 restaurants, mostly in Colorado, serving high-quality, 100% all-natural Coleman beef burgers, chicken sandwiches, and fresh frozen custard.

October 21, 2005
Several copyrighted stories are published in the local media regarding the grand opening and announcements of new businesses at Thornton's Larkridge Regional Retail Center.

"Erie residents Elena Clark and Hillary Haskett are tired of driving 20 minutes each time they want to shop at a major retail chain.

But they said five-minute jaunts south on Interstate 25 to a cornucopia of big-box stores at the new Larkridge development look just fine."

-- As reported in the Longmont Daily Times-Call

"At the grand opening ceremonies at Larkridge in Thornton on Thursday, Denver developer Jordon Perlmutter & Co. announced four new tenants. Costco is finalizing a deal to build a north metro location at Larkridge, which sits at Interstate 25 and Colorado 7, Perlmutter said."

-- As reported in the Rocky Mountain News

October 2005:
As part of the grand opening ceremonies for Larkridge Regional Retail Center, Developer Jordon Perlmutter announced that Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que, Chili’s, and U.S. Bank would soon be opening in the Thornton Center.  Perlmutter also announced that Costco Wholesale Warehouse has selected a site at Larkridge. Jordon Perlmutter & Co. and Costco are working to finalize a contract.  A media release concerning the opening of Larkridge was issued by Jordon Perlmutter & Co.

Thornton’s Business Development Team has been working with the Washington State-based Costco for the past several years. The company had been intensely analyzing a dozen sites in the North Metro Area for the last year. “Costco’s been interested in expanding into our regional market for quite sometime" said D. Robert Smith, Thornton’s Business Development Marketing Administrator. “We’ve worked hard to show them the advantages of a Thornton location, specifically working with them on four sites in our city. Obviously, we’re thrilled that they’ve focused in on Thornton and on Larkridge. It feels great to be in a position where a Thornton Costco is that much closer to being a reality.”

October 20, 2005 - Grand Opening
Marching bands played. Cowboys on stilts waved hello. Horse drawn stage coaches brought dignitaries to a giant ribbon stretched across the parking lot. And Thornton’s Larkridge Regional Retail Center officially opened with all the fanfare befitting a project that starts (merely starts) with a half million square feet of new retail space including the state’s only Sears Grand Store.

Years in the planning and preparation, the first slate of stores and restaurants at Larkridge only needed a little more than twelve months of above ground construction to reach their grand opening.

Larkridge and Thornton have set the stage for the rapidly progressing commercial development along the North I-25 corridor. As the E-470 beltway has evolved from South to North, the last major underserved market has been the North I-25 corridor and Larkridge has blazed the trail for providing retail services to the swiftly growing regional market.

Thornton’s regional market includes three of the fastest growing counties in the country. Thornton is the twelfth fastest growing city over 100,000 in the country, the US Census Bureau confirms - the city is the number one growth capital in Colorado. Residents of other nearby and briskly growing communities will gravitate to Larkridge as the convenient hub of commercial services for the region.

Businesses now open at Larkridge include: Sears Grand, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Circuit City, Bed Bath & Beyond, Pier 1 Imports, PetsMart, OfficeMax, The Home Depot and Village Inn.

A media release concerning the opening of Larkridge was issued by Jordon Perlmutter & Co.

October 17, 2005
Thornton's Larkridge Regional Retail Center will celebrate the official grand opening of the first slate of planned stores on Thursday, October 20, 2005. 

The celebration will continue through the weekend, with additional activities planned for Saturday, October 22, 2005 including great deals at any one of Larkridge’s new retailers, like Sears Grand, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Circuit City or many others! 

Larkridge will provide customers with a convenient and easily accessible shopping destination, a centralized northern business district and a community gathering place to serve consumers’ shopping, dining and service needs. The outdoor retail center will be home to retailers, village shops and restaurants including Sears Grand, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Circuit City, Bed Bath & Beyond, Pier 1 Imports, PetsMart, OfficeMax and Village Inn. The center is already home to The Home Depot which opened its doors in July.

October 15, 2005
A copyrighted story is published in the Rocky Mountain News. Sears Grand and Pier 1 Imports appear prominently in the story.

"Sears Grand is one of three major anchors that Larkridge expects to house, said Jonathan Perlmutter, vice president of marketing and leasing for developer Jordon Perlmutter.

Home Depot opened in late July, and a third space is reserved for a big box to be named later, he said"

-- As reported in the Rocky Mountain News

October 14, 2005
A copyrighted story is published in the Denver Business Journal and includes information about retail development in the North I-25 corridor.

"Population growth makes north metro area a retail hub"

-- Headline
as reported in the Denver Business Journal

"It's good to see retail development at least matching residential development, and not so far behind,' said Evergreen-based retail consultant Larry Black of Black Ink Results. "Our retail development has tended to lag way behind rooftops."

-- As reported in the Denver Business Journal

September 2005
Larkridge will be the first regional retail center to open in the area and will bring a wide variety of popular stores, including some that are new to the region. Among the stores scheduled for the initial opening: Colorado's first Sears Grand, Bed Bath & Beyond, Circuit City, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Pier 1 Imports, OfficeMax, PetsMart, and several restaurants and other retailers as well.  The Home Depot at Larkridge opened this past July.

When Larkridge was originally announced, the developers of the retail center anticipated an opening perhaps in 2008, but with the rapid residential growth in the market and the accompanying dramatically intense demand for more easily accessed shopping opportunities, a 2005 opening was required. As the first center of its kind along the Northern I-25 Corridor, Larkridge has been designed to meet the needs of the hundreds of thousands existing residents within a 12 mile radius of the center.

September 22, 2005
Larkridge's public relations firm, Schenkein was awarded a prestigious "Gold Pick" award for its efforts surrounding the groundbreaking for the Regional Retail Center in September of 2004.  The Gold Pick Awards are presented by the Colorado Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and they recognize excellence in public relations, brand management, community relations, multicultural PR, internal communications. With 20,000 members worldwide, PRSA is the world’s largest association of public relations professionals.

September 16, 2005
About 300 members from the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) visited Larkridge as a stop on an extensive bus tour of the North Metro area.  The event was the 19th Annual Tour for the group of real estate professionals. 

In the past, the NAIOP event has focused on other submarkets of the metroplex but this year's tour was entitled: "Nor'Easter Corridor Development - A storm of development activity in North East Denver." Commentary from representatives of four of Denver's premier commercial real estate brokerage houses gave the group unprecedented insight into the North Metro Regional Market. Included was an overview of the more than 150 square miles of development in the Northeast Metro Area, overviews of the region's current largest projects, and forecasts of where future development will occur.

Larkridge's Marketing Manager, Jonathan Perlmutter gave the group a rundown of the Regional Retail Center.  He emphasized that what they were looking at was merely the beginning of a convenient and easily accessible shopping destination, a centralized northern business district and a community gathering place, to serve consumers’ shopping, dining and service needs, now and into the future.

Many attending the NAIOP event expressed awe and delight at the size and scope of the Larkridge project.  Several commented that it was the highlight of the area tour.