Two Denver-Area Errands Are Moving to Briargate Parkway

Until this month, a Briargate resident who wanted a Mendocino Farms sandwich or a look around an L.L.Bean store had to drive north. All three Colorado Mendocino Farms locations are in Denver. The only L.L.Bean store in the state is at Park Meadows in Lone Tree. Between Tuesday, Oct. 27, and Friday, Oct. 30, both brands open at The Promenade Shops at Briargate. The shopping center has also scheduled its own Halloween events in the days just before them.

Together they turn late October into a packed stretch at 1885 Briargate Parkway. The openings also show what the center's owner is going after. Lara Silversmith, director of leasing strategy at Asana Partners, the retail real estate firm that owns the center, told SpringsMag that the goal is "introducing highly desired brands and fresh experiences to Colorado Springs." Both late-October openings are brands that had never been in Colorado Springs before.

Where These Brands Were Before October

The Denver Mendocino Farms locations are at 320 N. Fillmore St. in Cherry Creek, 3453 W. 32nd Ave. in Highlands and 1380 16th St. downtown. Briargate becomes the brand's fourth Colorado restaurant and its first in Colorado Springs, The Gazette reported. The L.L.Bean store will be the brand's second in Colorado, according to KOAA.

Mendocino Farms Opens Tuesday, Oct. 27

Mendocino Farms is based in Los Angeles County. Mario Del Pero and Ellen Chen-Del Pero founded it in 2005, and it is known for gourmet sandwiches, wraps, salads and seasonal soups. SpringsMag counts more than 100 locations across six states, with Colorado among them.

The Gazette's first story gave a different opening date and later ran a correction. Oct. 27 is the corrected date, and FOX21 reports the same one. FOX21 says the Briargate restaurant will be open every day from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. starting that Tuesday. The station named the GOAT salad, with Pink Lady apples and Farmhouse Vinaigrette, and the Fajita Steak Salad as fall seasonal highlights.

The opening-day offer has a deadline that falls before the doors open:

1. Sign up for a Mendo eClub account on the Mendocino Farms new-store sign-up page.
2. Pick Briargate as your favorite location.
3. Do both by 11:59 p.m. the night before the grand opening, which is Monday, Oct. 26.
4. A free entrée with any purchase loads to your account on Oct. 27 and is good for two weeks.

There is also a longer-running offer. FOX21 reports that the restaurant will give back 50% on fundraiser events for local schools and organizations through February 2027. Booster clubs and nonprofits around Briargate have a little over four months to use it.

L.L.Bean Opens Friday, Oct. 30, and Gives Away Gifts on Halloween

The L.L.Bean store moves into the former Container Store on the east edge of the center. The Container Store closed in April. KOAA, citing the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department, reported a $2 million remodel for a store of more than 13,000 square feet. The company was hiring about 40 full- and part-time workers ahead of the opening. In August, The Gazette said the store was expected in "late October." L.L.Bean's own store page now lists the grand opening as Friday, Oct. 30.

In the news release KOAA reported on, district manager Kenon Mitchell explained why the company picked Colorado Springs:

"Colorado Springs offers incredible access to the outdoors, from the trails and red rock formations of Garden of the Gods to the landscapes surrounding Pikes Peak."

Opening weekend runs over two mornings, according to the L.L.Bean Colorado Springs store page:

• Friday, Oct. 30, 8:45 a.m. Ribbon cutting.
• Friday, Oct. 30, 9 a.m. The first 100 people in line get an exclusive Colorado Springs Grand Opening Boat and Tote. No purchase is needed, you must be 18 or older, and the line can start forming at 6 a.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 31, from 9 a.m. The first 100 customers who buy something in the store get a free Puffer Blanket, listed as an $89.95 value. You must be 18 or older, there is one gift per person, and the offer lasts while supplies do.

The store page lists apparel, footwear, camping and hiking gear, fishing, luggage and travel, and pet supplies. The company has not yet posted a class schedule or any services specific to this location.

The Center's Halloween Events Fall in the Same Ten Days

The Saturday blanket giveaway falls on Halloween. Before either store opens, the shopping center has two Halloween events of its own on Pikes Peak Patio, which makes Oct. 22 through Oct. 31 one continuous stretch at the same address.

Pikes Peak Patio is where both Boo at Briargate and the Movies Under the Mountains screening begin. The center's Winter Coat Drive is also running through Friday, Nov. 13, after starting Sept. 7. If you're coming for the Oct. 24 trick-or-treating, it's an easy time to drop off a coat.

Already Open, and Still Listed as Coming Soon

The October openings are part of a bigger round of changes the center announced in September. Apple has already reopened in a larger space. Three more changes are expected in the fourth quarter, but none has a confirmed date yet:

• Kendra Scott is expected to open sometime this year.
• American Eagle is expected before the end of the year, and the center's store directory still lists it as coming soon.
• Lululemon plans to expand its existing store in the fourth quarter.

Mendocino Farms and L.L.Bean are the two with fixed dates. Both are the brands' first Colorado Springs locations, and their nearest stores before now were up I-25 in Denver and Lone Tree. After Oct. 30, both are a short drive down Briargate Parkway.

Questions about what these openings mean for the north end of Colorado Springs? I'm glad to talk them through, whether you're looking for a home near The Promenade Shops or wondering how new retail tends to shape interest in nearby neighborhoods. Susan Sedoryk follows Briargate closely and is happy to help. Let's Connect.