The long-vacant south-side superstore styled like an Aztec temple is finally to be filled.
Its new owner is its originally intended tenant - La Curacao, an electronics chain that caters to Spanish speakers.
The Los Angeles-based company has delayed its opening several times since it announced its first Tucson store in 2007. It's now expected to open the second week in September.
This announcement is different from the earlier ones in at least one way: The chain now owns the property.
In May, it spent $9 million to buy the 90,000-square-foot building constructed for it in 2008.
Since 2010, the building at 3390 S. Sixth Ave. has been marketed for lease, but it stood empty.
"The sale was part of one big workout with the tenant," said Michael Mugel, CEO of Red Mountain Retail Group, which owns Southgate Shopping Center and was the original landlord.
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La Curacao spokeswoman Ruth Garcia described it as a "last-minute agreement between the parties." Both sides would not say much about the sale's background, but they agreed that La Curacao's planned Tucson store, first slated to open in 2008, was basically a temporary casualty of the financial recession.
During the execution of the complicated deal, La Curacao ran into trouble with its lender and defaulted on its lease agreement, Mugel said.
The delay in opening, however, may have some benefits for Tucsonans. It means, for example, that Tucson will be the first to experience La Curacao's revamped image and more expansive business model.
The Southgate store will debut a new bird-of-paradise logo and emphasize bilingualism in customer service in an effort to attract customers beyond its Hispanic base.
Signs and contracts at the Tucson store will be in both Spanish and English, and sales associates will speak both languages.
The layout of the store will be the same as La Curacao's other locations, with a selection of Apple computers, a wall of TVs and a child-care center where, at no cost, parents can drop their children for up to an hour and a half while they shop. The children will be able to play computer games, Garcia said.
The store will maintain another major draw for shoppers - credit available to everyone for four months without interest, she said.
Garcia said La Curacao is happy to be opening its second Arizona store, and Mugel is also pleased with the outcome.
"We're thrilled to have them as a neighbor," he said of La Curacao, also one of his company's tenants in Santa Ana, Calif.
"It's a great site, right off the freeway. They should do very well there."
Mugel estimated the store could do $25 million to $30 million a year in sales.
He said that El Super, a grocery store that also caters to Spanish speakers, has been very successful at the site. Other Southgate tenants include bbb! Fashion and Panda Express.
Workers at nearby stores were surprised by news of the opening, but said they were cautiously optimistic.
"I hope they bring more customers to the shopping center," said Acucena Rodriguez, store manager of Melrose Fashions.
El Super shopper Bart Lopez said he was looking forward to seeing what La Curacao offers.
"I would go there," he said, noting that he had heard of the chain's Phoenix store.
La Curacao has 10 stores in Southern California and one in Phoenix.
Did you know?
Tucson's DeConcini family built the Southgate Shopping Center in the 1950s with Roy Drachman. The shopping center was most recently renovated in 2009.
La Curacao originally announced plans for a Tucson store at Southgate in June 2007, citing a September 2008 opening.
Construction of a building for the store was delayed until September 2008, and an August 2009 opening date was set.
Seven months later, company executives said the completed, but empty, building needed interior work and was expected to open in the summer. Then that summer, executives said it was to open in November.
In fall 2010, the building was up for lease or sale.
This May, La Curacao bought it.
NEW JOBS
La Curacao plans to hire at least 300 employees in Tucson, says spokeswoman Ruth Garcia. Applications will be available at lacuracao.com, she said.
Contact reporter Carli Brosseau at cbrosseau@azstarnet.com or 573-4197.