Mr. Mac is leaving mall for Salt Lake site

Mr. Mac confirmed Friday it will move from the ZCMI Center to the former Arent's building on South Temple and that it will stay at that location rather than move from — and then back to — the LDS Church's downtown mall project.

"We're going to be signing a 20-year lease with Zions Securities (the real estate arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and plan to make that a permanent location for us," said Stuart Christensen, co-owner of Mr. Mac.

"We wanted to keep our relationship with Zions Securities and felt that, for us, it'd be more financially feasible to be there rather than to be at the new development."

The lower overhead, promised renovations to the three-story facility and the prospect of not having to move twice made the Arent's building most attractive, Christensen said.

"We definitely wanted to stay downtown, to stay close to where we are, and we wanted to be in a location that we could invest in, that would be long-term," Christensen said. "We feel that (the new location) gives us access, parking, it's far enough away from the dust and debris, and it's a good size."

The ZCMI Center and Crossroads Plaza malls will be demolished by the LDS Church as it proceeds with its plans for the City Creek Center development, which is scheduled to open in 2011.

At 15,000 square feet on three levels, the Arent's building at 160 E. South Temple is larger than Mr. Mac's current space, Christensen said. The store has a dedicated parking lot, accessed via an entrance on the building's east side, in addition to four metered stalls in front.

If all goes well, Christensen said the store will open in its new location in April or May.

"We don't have a firm date yet, but we're optimistic (about opening in) April or May," he said. "A lot will depend on how quickly it can be renovated. There's significant investment in that building that needs to be done."

Promised renovations include asbestos removal, installation of a new elevator and the creation of a new store front on South Temple.

Mr. Mac is shooting for a seamless transition from site to site. Until the move, Christensen said the ZCMI Center store is open and keeping its regular hours from 8:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and until 7 p.m. on Saturday.

"For us, it's business as usual," Christensen said. "We want people to know that we're here, we're open for business, and there's plenty of free parking."

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E-mail: jnii@desnews.com