Improvements to be Made to Corinth Square within Next Year

Matti Crabtree | The Harbinger Online

Customers are going to be seeing a new Corinth Square this year, as the shopping area is remodeled and as new tenants move in. By the end of September, the retail center will be featuring new sitting areas along with new fountains, landscaping, signage and entry-ways.

Jeff Berg, Senior Vice President-Principal of LANE4 Property Group, says that the changes are allowing the area to better follow the neighborhood. LANE4 bought the property around three years ago, when Corinth Square was “underperforming”, “tired” and “old” according to Berg. Now, LANE4 has been working to breathe new life into the shopping center that has been around for six decades.

“I think that previous, Corinth Square had not kept up with the neighborhood,” Jeff Berg, said. “The neighborhood was kind of rejuvenating and becoming younger and more family oriented as some of the older, original residents moved out and the shopping center wasn’t keeping up with that, and so now I think that the focus is changing just to kind of serve better the kind of the crowd that lives around Corinth.”

The “first phase” of the remodeling started with the demolition of Tippin’s and will be finished by June. The initial phase also includes constructing the new building for CVS that will stand where Tippin’s was. Additionally, the Somerset entrance is going to be relocated and the entry on Mission Road will be re-done.

The “second phase” of the changes include the remodeling of the main Corinth Square building with new roofing and new signage. By the end of the year, Johnny’s and Hen House will be externally remodeled as well.

A new feature that is going to be added to Corinth Square is the addition of “pocket parks”, which are essentially small parks complete with trees, bushes, sitting areas and even fountains. These miniature parks will be built on corners that currently only have empty pavement, such as outside the Wild Bird Center and by Urban Table. LANE4 wants to make the area more “pedestrian”, so people can take their time outdoors, strolling between shops and relaxing.

Additionally, some new tenants are being added during this time. The area where the old CVS was will be divided into two areas, allowing two different tenants to use the space. A Spin! Neapolitan Pizza will be occupying one of the spaces and a new tenant (who currently can’t be named due to negotiations) will be filling the other space.

According to Berg, these new tenants will help to further refresh the shopping center, similar to the way BRGR and Urban Table did.

Alan Gaylin, manager and CEO of BRGR and Urban Table, says that Corinth Square was chosen as the location for the restaurants because of the area and demographics. Also, at the time Corinth Square didn’t really have too many restaurants.

Gaylin believes that the new improvements will further help to improve the shopping center and make it even more attractive to the area.

“I actually think it’s going to help it grow more, it’s just going to develop the market for all the residents in Prairie Village,” Gaylin said. “It’ll keep the market viable to the Prairie Village area.”

Senior Amy Franklin is one of several East students who works in Corinth Square. Franklin has worked at the Wild Bird Center in Corinth Square for about a year, and she’s noticed an impact made by the new restaurants that have already opened, such as BRGR and Urban Table.

“When the two new restaurants came in I noticed that we got a lot more activity,” Franklin said. “It actually helps a lot with business having the restaurants in there.”

During the evening, Franklin says that people will stop by to have a look around the store while they wait for a table. Franklin thinks that the changes will make the center look much nicer, making customers want to walk around and ultimately spend more time in Corinth Square.

According to Berg, the upcoming changes paired with the recent updates create a positive equation for the future success of Corinth Square. Businesses are already seeing an increase in sales.

“We’re very proud of what’s happening so far [and] we’re probably not even 25 percent there of the changes that are going to be made,” Berg said. “But what we really see for the future of Corinth is just a real, community oriented center where people will feel comfortable spending time.”