Anthropologie Headed to LR

One of the wants a lot of my friends expressed in the week after the Dem-Gaz story on the Little Rock wish list was an Anthropologie. Well, good news! Looks like a plumbing permit was filed for an Anthropologie at the Promenade at Chenal this week.

No details yet on when it will open, but if paperwork is already being filed, my guess is that it won’t be more than a few months. That’s been the typical turnaround time for most new shops lately.

I hope it’s a big Anthropologie like the one I’ve visited in Boulder. I could seriously live in one of those. Between the beautiful bedding set-ups and all the kitchen trinkets I don’t need but oh-so-badly covet, it’s a yuppie shabby chic paradise.

The arrival of Anthropologie in Little Rock means more than overpriced tsotchkes, though. This may be a sign of more development at Promenade at Chenal. The handful of stores that have opened there in the last year look awfully lonely with long stretches of shell retail space in between.

But recently, movement has been steady at the Promenade. A new gourmet burger restaurant based out of Kanasas City, Blanc, is set to open there in the spring, as is a wine bar called the Wine Loft. And of course, brick-oven pizza bistro Bravo Cucina Italiana is on the way. I’m also excited for the opening of Charming Charlie, a fun Francesca’s-like accessory store, that’s in the works, as well.

But still, what about the big promises Promenade made in its early days? A sign that last fall advertised a 2009 opening for Bebe has been painted over, so that it simply acknowledges the shop is coming soon. Like it has been for a year. And when was the last time you heard any buzz about Apple entering the complex?

If luxury-ish chains like Anthropologie are expanding, however, that’s further proof the economy is on the rebound. With any luck, soon the Promenade at Chenal will be, too.