Utah Woolen Mills will remain at its current South Temple location, and another piece has fallen into place in the shape-shifting puzzle called the LDS Church's downtown Salt Lake redevelopment project.
Utah Woolen Mills Clothiers' owner Bart Stringham confirmed Thursday that the retailer had reached an agreement with its landlord, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to remain at its current location, 59 W. South Temple. There are about 62 years left on Utah Woolen Mills' lease.
"We are just happy to be there and to be able to be there and finish out our 60-plus-year lease," Stringham said. "I just didn't think it would be in Utah Woolen Mills' best interest to leave, and we withstood it all. And I think the fact that they want us there, and in the same location, says a lot for us, and it says a lot for them to want to have a business like ours — one that does kind of stand up for what we believe."
The church, which announced its plans three years ago for a massive mixed-use development center, declined to comment Thursday on the Utah Woolen Mills negotiation or the redevelopment project. Detailed plans for the project have not been released, but speculation has stepped up in recent weeks that an announcement/unveiling is imminent.
While Stringham expressed relief — and a bit of surprise — at the church's decision to maintain its lease agreement, neighboring Nordstrom was effectively bumped from the slot it believed it had and must await new project plans reflecting the Utah Woolen Mills deal. Nordstrom reportedly had been slated to occupy part of the Utah Woolen Mills space during the planned reconstruction, before unveiling its new store in 2009.
Now, Nordstrom spokeswoman Brooke White said the retailer is "anxious to see new plans." As of Thursday afternoon no such plans had been presented for Nordstrom's consideration, White said, though she added that talks with the church "have been ongoing through all this time and will continue." She did note, however, that Nordstrom was not informed by the church about the Utah Woolen Mills deal and learned of it through media reports.
Stringham said he wasn't privy to discussions regarding Nordstrom.
But, he said, "We hope that Nordstrom stays. They really are great neighbors."
Even though he's only seen snippets of the church's plan, Stringham said he's confident that the end result will be worth the wait.
"We have no doubt that the church will do it right," he said. "No doubt."
And as for the months and years in between, Stringham said there are concerns. But, he said, the 101-year old business has weathered the development of downtown, the building of Crossroads Plaza and construction on light rail and Main Street.
"We believe we can stay open" seamlessly throughout the construction process, he said. "We've done it in the past, and we believe we can do it again. We still have a few hard hats from the last time around.
"Our customers have sought us out, regardless of the obstacles. It has amazed us, and we are appreciative, and we really do recognize them in this."
E-mail: jnii@desnews.com