The renderings for the Avenues at Northfield show a big central lawn, shaded seating, fire and water features, kids' play areas and year-round concerts and markets, all on a Main Street closed to cars. The calendar for the center's first holiday season under its new name is shorter. A Christmas tree lot opens between Super Target and Bass Pro Shops, and a 140,000-square-foot Wayfair opens in the building Macy's left behind.
That order is the story of this season. The redevelopment is happening in pieces. The first piece is a store you might visit a few times a year. The pieces that would change a Central Park household's week are a grocer, a gym and a walkable Main Street, and they are still under construction. In the meantime, most of the neighborhood's holiday gatherings are still happening a few miles south at Stanley Marketplace.
What Stockdale Says It Is Building
Stockdale Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in Los Angeles, bought what was then The Shops at Northfield in 2022. It renamed the center and started a multimillion-dollar redevelopment, which it expects to finish in phases through 2027, the property's 20th anniversary. Bastian Peters, who runs retail asset management for Stockdale, explained the thinking to The Denver Post in June:
"As a property owner of a shopping center like the Avenues at Northfield, in order to remain relevant, you really need to provide an experience to the consumer."
According to the Post, Peters split the investment into three parts: new anchor tenants, common-area renovations, and more specialty shops over the next several years. When Stockdale announced the start of construction in March, it said the Main Street conversion was slated for completion before the 2026 holiday season. The first anchor to arrive is Wayfair.
Wayfair Opens Nov. 20 in the Former Macy's
Wayfair's store at 8298 E. Northfield Blvd. has two floors and 19 departments, covering furniture, housewares, appliances, mattresses, florals, decor and design services. It is the company's fourth large-format store and its first in the Mountain West. The earlier ones are in Wilmette, Illinois, which opened in 2024, and Atlanta, which opened in March 2026. The Post reports the store will employ about 150 people.
Regular hours will be 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. The grand opening runs Nov. 20 through 22, and the giveaway has a set process:
- Lines open at 7:30 a.m. at the store's West entrance each day.
- The first 100 families in line each day can receive a $50 gift card.
- Ticket holders have to be there when the doors open at 10 a.m.
- Select in-store items are marked down by up to 80%, and there are games, entertainment and other surprises all weekend.
In June, Wayfair's Liza Lefkowski told the Post that the center's move toward a more pedestrian-oriented district was part of what drew the company in. So the anchor is opening on the strength of a Main Street plan that is still being built around it.
The Store the North Side Is Actually Waiting On
A furniture store gets a few visits a year. A grocery store gets visits every week. Peters told the Post that a national specialty grocer under construction next to Old Navy would fill "a long-anticipated grocery gap on the north side of Central Park." He would not name the tenant. The Post reported that a site plan submitted to the city named Trader Joe's as the occupant of a 12,527-square-foot store near East 47th Avenue. Trader Joe's own store locator now lists a Northfield store as "Coming Soon!" without a date. Peters expected construction on the grocer to finish by the end of the year.
Two more grocers are planned on the other side of I-70:
- Whole Foods Market at 8801 E. 39th Ave., reported by Naked Denver. 9News reported that the city plans place it on a 6.39-acre site.
- Aldi at 9111 E. 40th Ave. Denverite reported that the plans filed with the city include more than 100 parking spaces. In mid-October, KDVR reported that Aldi submitted concept plans for two Denver-area stores in July.
The gym is further out. The former JCPenney at 8568 E. 49th Ave. is becoming a 103,000-square-foot Life Time, with a resort-style outdoor pool and 12 to 13 pickleball courts, the chain's largest pickleball complex in the Denver market. The Post reports it is set to open in 2027.
What Is Already Open on the Property
The smaller openings at Northfield fit the "experience" Peters described better than the anchors do. They are mostly places to eat:
| Name | Address | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Margaritas | 8340 E. Northfield Blvd. | Family-owned Mexican chain with tortillas pressed all day |
| Bubba's 33 | 8268 E. Northfield Blvd. | Game-day restaurant from the Texas Roadhouse group |
| Marczyk FineBurger | 7980 E. Northfield Blvd. | Grew out of Marczyk Fine Foods' summer burger nights, known for duck fat fries |
| Diego Social | 8286 E. Northfield Blvd. | Mexican sweet shop with milkshakes, paletas and mini pancakes |
| MINISO | Main Street and 46th Avenue | 6,487-square-foot lifestyle store |
Pandora also recently joined the center's roster, according to the Post's October report. In June, Post photographers caught a beer garden and event space under construction on the property. Once it opens, that space will be closer to the gathering-place promise than anything on this year's calendar.
Where the Holiday Gatherings Happen This Year
The Neighborhood Christmas Tree Pop-Up runs Nov. 19 through Dec. 24 at Northfield, between Super Target and Bass Pro Shops. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends. Neighborhood Christmas Tree Co. also runs a lot for the same dates at Stanley Marketplace, 2501 N. Dallas St. in Aurora, so households on the north and south sides of Central Park each have a tree lot nearby.
Stanley also has most of the season's events:
- Santa visits are free and walk-up on weekends from Nov. 28 through Dec. 20, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with a different themed Santa on different weekends. The Nov. 28 visit is a Sensory Santa at Psychology at Stanley on the second floor.
- A menorah display is lit starting the evening of Friday, Dec. 4.
- First Fridays Creator Market runs the same night, Dec. 4, from 6 to 9 p.m.
- After Hours Night Market with local makers runs Dec. 11 and 12 starting at 4 p.m.
- Kids' Noon Year's Eve is free on Dec. 31 at 11 a.m., with a noon countdown, a DJ, party hats and a disco ball.
Stanley says dates and times can change, so check its event calendar before you go. Stanley may also have a new place to eat this season. Sorella, an Italian counter-service spot from the owners of Boychik, told WhatNow it was aiming to open in mid-November. BusinessDen reported the menu includes soppressata and roasted-eggplant sandwiches, charcuterie and take-and-bake pastas, mostly under $20.
Northfield's Holiday Hours
If you're planning holiday errands at Northfield, the center has posted these hours:
- Thanksgiving, Nov. 26: closed
- Black Friday, Nov. 27: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 28: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 29: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Dec. 18 and 19: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Sunday, Dec. 20: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Dec. 21 through 23: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Christmas Eve: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Christmas Day: closed
These hours are for the center itself. Wayfair has its own schedule, so on Sundays it closes at 7 p.m.
Northfield will keep changing through 2027 as the grocer, Life Time and the Main Street work arrive. If you'd like to talk through what that build-out could mean for your block in Central Park, Julie Winger is glad to sit down with you. Schedule a neighborhood consultation.
