Arlie & Company

Northeast Eugene’s emerging “urban village” will begin fulfilling its mixed-use promise today, when the first of its initial 16 retail storefronts opens for business.

Bello Day Spa & Salon will offer a full range of services in its new location at Crescent Village, on Crescent Street east of Coburg Road.

Bello closed Jan. 29 at its former location adjacent to Reed & Cross on Oakway Road to move into its new quarters.

“Oh my gosh, we’re thrilled,” co-owner Stacy Conlon said Thursday. “We can’t wait for the other tenants to be here, because it’s going to be wonderful.”

Sadie Dressekie, marketing director for the development firm Arlie & Company, said two “town center” buildings with a total of 36,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space are expected to be completed by May. Ten of the Crescent Village storefronts already have been promised, and the remaining spaces are expected to go quickly, she said.

“I don’t have a specific time projection,” Dressekie said. “But I do anticipate that once some of those retail stores and restaurants open, and there’s more traffic moving through there, the interest will only increase.”

The Cornerstone Cafe — formerly Of Grape and Grain — is expected to open its doors next at Crescent Village. Its owner, J.B. van Hecke, could not be reached on Thursday but has said previously that he would seek a “classic, comfortable feel” in the new cafe.

Following the Cornerstone, a pair of sister businesses — Mezza Luna Pizzeria and Lago Blu Gelato — are expected to be open sometime in the next two months. Those storefronts are located in the west building at Crescent Village, adjacent to a walkway at the north end of the development.

“The architects and developers have said they envision that little pedestrian walkway to be a major thoroughfare through the town center — especially once the (tentatively planned) grocery store is built,” said Kelley Blewster, who owns Mezza Luna along with her husband, Sandy Little, and John and Jennifer Fitzgerald.

Blewster and Little have partnered with another couple, Keri and John Lake, on the gelato and espresso shop next door.

“When Mezza Luna was approached and we thought about expanding to Crescent Village, the next thought we had was that a gelatoria would be a great niche,” said Blewster, who took notice of a similar shop during a recent visit to Dallas.

“I thought to myself, ‘Eugene needs a gelato shop — wouldn’t it be great?’ ” she said.

Lago Blu will specialize in gelatos and espresso drinks, but also will serve some other desserts as well as homemade fudge, Blewster said.

Mezza Luna’s second location will offer the same menu as its original storefront on Pearl Street — New York-style thin crust pizza, along with salads and appetizers.

“It’s been surprisingly successful,” said Blewster, whose original pizzeria opened in January 2005. “Word of mouth has been our greatest advertising.”

The next wave of retail openings at Crescent Village will include Izumi, a sushi and Pan-Asian style restaurant, and the B-Squared wine bar.

“Then we have some others that are negotiating leases right now,” Dressekie said.

The two town center buildings each have three stories of apartments above their ground floor retail space, and most of the residential units are either occupied or spoken for, she said.

The first building, on the east side of Crescent Village’s main street, has 47 of its 51 apartments occupied. And a waiting list of about 100 people have signed up for the second building’s 51 apartments.

A third building, behind the west town center structure, already is under construction and will offer an additional 7,000 square feet of ground-floor retail storefronts with 28,000 square feet of office space on the floors above.

The $53 million first phase of Arlie & Company’s Crescent Village development also includes 40 units of three-story detached townhouses.

The next phase of construction on the 40-acre development site will include a companion building to the retail-and-office structure, with additional retail space and apartments units, Dressekie said. To the north of that structure, additional apartments and possibly a condominium building are being considered.

Plans are still being worked out for a 50,000-square-foot grocery store on vacant land to the west of the town center buildings.

“We’re still talking to a couple different grocery stores,” she said. “But we don’t have a timeline on that yet.”

At Bello Day Spa & Salon, Conlon said her new, 4,100-square-foot storefront “feels a lot bigger” than the old 3,500-square-foot space on Oakway Road.

“It’s just a lot better laid out,” said Conlon, who is partners in the business with Kenda Mason. “We added two more hair stations and two more pedicure tubs, but otherwise it’s pretty much the same.”

Conlon said she and Mason have spent about $470,000 on tenant improvements to their leased space at Crescent Village and are eager to welcome back their customers beginning today.

“Despite the construction around us, we’re here and ready to go,” Conlon said.

“We’ll be opening our doors (this morning) and will be ready to greet people.”

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Spa opening gets business going in "urban village"