Apple Store in Napa? Not at Bel Aire

No Apple Store will be opening in Bel Aire Plaza any time soon, according to Craig Semmelmeyer, principal of Main Street Properties, which manages the north Napa shopping center.

“I know there have been rumors of Apple coming to Napa, but after talks with them (Apple officials), I don’t think an Apple Store in Napa is going to happen," Semmelmeyer said.

“I agree we need an Apple Store in Napa," Semmelmeyer added. "More and more retailers are discovering the long-held secret that Napa is a dynamic trade area.”

Semmelmeyer said the Bel Aire Chico's clothing store in the former location of Umpqua Bank, which consolidated its business into a smaller space next to Villa Corona, is in the home stretch of completion.

“It is set to open the end of February,” Semmelmeyer said.

And the former home of Copperfield’s Books, which moved late last year next to Whole Foods, will soon be bustling with shoppers: Pier 1 Imports is also scheduled to open its doors in late February, Semmelmeyer said.

The vacant space between Chico's and Trader Joe’s has been remodeled, but no leases have yet been signed to fill the space, Semmelmeyer said.

“We are feeling out tenants for the spaces. We aren’t sure if we will make into one, two or three retail spaces. It depends on what type of tenant we sign with,” Semmelmeyer said.

Chico's was founded in 1983 as a small boutique selling Mexican folk art and cotton sweaters on Sanibel Island, Fla., and has evolved into more than 600 stores throughout the nation, according to chicos.com. Its closest store to Napa currently is in Sonoma.

Pier 1 Imports, which sells home decor and furnishings, has been in business for more than 50 years, according to pier1.com.

For more about new businesses and other changes at Bel Aire Plaza, please see:

• Bel-Aire Plaza Undergoing More Changes
• Bel Aire Mystery Solved: Chico's is Coming to Napa
• Caffino Coffee Drive-Through Evicted in Napa
• Bel Aire Barber Shop Changes Hands
• Bel Aire Plaza Recruits New Tenants
• What Do You Want to See at Bel Aire Plaza?
• Copperfield's Books Reopens in Bel Aire Plaza
• Does Bel Aire Need a Diner?

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