Baton Rouge's shopping landscape has drastically changed during the past year with the addition of new shopping centers and retail stores.
Centers such as Perkins Rowe, Towne Center and the Boulevard at the Mall of Louisiana have provided Baton Rouge residents with new places to shop, eat and live.
Todd Denton, general manager of the Mall of Louisiana, said the addition of the Boulevard has been well-received by local shoppers.
"Some of the stores out there like Apple and Sephora have had very successful sales within their company," Denton said. "We're getting lots of great feedback from our customers on how they like the outdoor area."
The Boulevard, an outdoor shopping center next to the original Mall of Louisiana building, holds stores such as L'Occitane and Ann Taylor.
Denton said the area has many new retailers planned, and all construction should be complete by August 2008.
New retailers include Borders Books, Tiger Mania and multiple restaurants. The inside of the mall will also see new stores including Coach, Forever 21 and Pottery Barn.
Perkins Rowe has also provided shoppers with an array of new businesses. The complex holds such retailers as Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and Guess, in addition to restaurants such as Kona Grill and upcoming California Pizza Kitchen.
Towne Center at Cedar Lodge also offers Baton Rouge residents a place to shop and eat. The center contains stores such as Mignon Faget and New Balance. They also offer many restaurants such as Bonefish Grill and the newly-opened Zea Rotisserie. Ryan Cooney, management senior and business development intern at the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, said the new additions to the Baton Rouge retail scene have allowed the city to become more competitive when trying to attract new businesses.
"The upscale shopping that is available in the Mall of Louisiana, Perkins Rowe and Towne Center is an added benefit in that we can recruit businesses aiming for larger cities ... that already have these types of stores and types of lifestyle centers," Cooney said. "It makes Baton Rouge more competitive."
Cooney said when companies look for a new location, they consider the entire area when making their choice.
"A company is not only looking for the ideal location," Cooney said. "They also look for the entire community to be ideal for their employees as well. Adding those kinds of things to the area is a benefit."
Cooney said the new retail areas have also benefited the local economy.
"It increases the sales tax revenue of the city," Cooney said. "It's a positive benefit that a lot of companies are looking for as well."
Cooney said many of the stores that have come to the area are new to Baton Rouge or Louisiana, so shoppers are no longer having to travel elsewhere to shop at those stores.
"It's an overall benefit to the environment of Baton Rouge," Cooney said. "It keeps the tax dollars here in the parish instead of going out to New Orleans or Houston or Birmingham."
Students said they enjoy the retail additions and said the new areas are a welcomed addition to the traditional shopping centers.
"I'm really excited about the new stores that have come to Baton Rouge," said Lauren Ellermann, mass communication sophomore. "There's a lot more options now. There's something for everybody. I like that the mall added new stores like Sephora, and for a break from the mall, Perkins Rowe is great because of the outdoor atmosphere."
---- Contact Sarah Aycock at saycock@lsureveille.com.
