A new home furnishings store and gym have sights set on Puyallup

The former Lowe’s site in Puyallup is about to be abuzz with activity, if all goes to plan.

The site at 301 37th Ave. SE has two interested parties seeking space in the former home improvement center.

The larger part, 87,000 square feet, would go to Texas-based home furnishings retailer At Home, which has contacted the city for permitting, according to Tom Utterback, Puyallup's planning services director.

“You don't find many (retailers) taking that level of space these days,” he noted, “but they apparently are in expansion mode.”

The retailer is pushing for an opening around Christmas. At Home did not respond to requests for comment.

The store would be the retailer’s first in the state, according to a search of its website. The next closest At Home sites are in Utah.

Fitness chain 24 Hour Fitness has expressed interest for the rest of the space, about 37,000 square feet. Remodeling of the segment is on a slower time line, Utterback said.

24 Hour Fitness, contacted by The News Tribune, replied via email that it could provide no information on plans for the site.

The nearby Hobby Lobby, initially slated for a May opening, has a few more days to make that target, and it appears to be on a slower schedule at this point.

Utterback said this week that the city has yet to receive a date for when the retailer will seek occupancy.

“But as far as we know it’s moving forward,” he said, noting that part of the remodel was more intensive than the neighboring and newly open Harbor Freight’s portion.

The retailer did not respond to requests for comment this week.

This story was originally published May 24, 2018 at 11:00 AM with the headline "A new home furnishings store and gym have sights set on Puyallup."