Comings and goings at Bel-Square

I took a slight detour recently and made a quick dash into Bellevue Square. As I made my regular stops at a few of my favorite stores I was taken aback when I entered The Limited.

I took a slight detour recently and made a quick dash into Bellevue Square. As I made my regular stops at a few of my favorite stores I was taken aback when I entered The Limited.

The clothing store, which has served as a staple for my shopping excursions for years, was nearly bare to the bone. Wasn’t it just last week I was browsing through the spring collection?

Now, as I stood in a skeleton of a store, it was only me, with a baffled expression on my face, and two small racks of must-go clothing. I had an inkling of hope that The Limited was simply moving to a different wing of the mall.

With a major remodel in progress some stores appear to be playing a game of hop scotch. But no such luck for The Limited. An employee informed me the store no longer calls Bellevue Square its home as of April 10 – or whenever the two racks of clothes disappear.

According to Cheryl Engstrom, a spokeswoman for The Bellevue Collection, stores leave for many reasons, most due to changes at the corporate level, as in case of nationwide store closures. The Limited doesn’t appear to fall in this category. The store will remain open in other mall locations.

Although I’m sad to see The Limited go, I’m quickly revived with the anticipation of the exciting new stores that are moving in. Below is an updated list of new comers and store expansions that are sure to keep me coming back for more.

New Stores: Burberry, Eileen Fisher, Vera Bradley, Bump Maternity, Lacoste (mid-May opening)

Renovations and expansions: Nordstrom (major remodel adding designer apparel), William Sonoma, Banana Republic, Victoria’s Secret and Pottery Barn (all doubling in size).