At least one Pierce County location for a departed retailer appears to be coming back to life with a chain making its entrance into the Washington market.
Representatives for Philadelphia-based Five Below have filed initial plans with Pierce County for a new store at the former Party City at 10408 156th St. E. in Sunrise Village in the South Hill area.
It would be the first Pierce County store for the chain, and its other planned stores in the state also would be its first Washington locations.
A media representative for the chain told The News Tribune via email in response to questions Monday that the location “is slated to open in November.”
Puget Sound Business Journal first reported on the new Washington stores May 30.
Five Below specializes in discount goods for pre-teens and teens (toys, tech, apparel and more), with most items priced between $1 and $5.
In an early May news release, Five Below stated it expected to open “55 new stores in the first quarter, compared to the prior guidance of approximately 50 new stores.”
Plans filed May 7 with Pierce County called for a tenant improvement of the site. The plans were sent back later in the month, with the county requiring proof of property owner consent and more details on mechanical/plumbing work.
In fall 2023, Daiso, a dollar store that specializes in Japanese goods, opened next door to the site.
In February, Five Below and Dollar Tree took 44 and 148 of the former Party City leases respectively nationwide as part of Party City’s bankruptcy, commercial real estate analyst CoStar reported in February.
The Sunrise Village site was among those on the Five Below lease list included in a court filing submitted in February in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston division.
Party City announced in December it was closing all of its stores, which included 16 in Washington state.
Other Five Below locations going into former Party City sites in Washington include Everett, Lynnwood, Federal Way, Union Gap, Richland and Spokane Valley, according to the court filing’s list.
In Oregon, Five Below appears to be opening its first store in that state in Beaverton.
Five Below operates more than 1,800 stores in more than 40 states. This region is one of the last ones in the nation without a store: California has 150, according to its website, while New York state has 119 and Texas has 176.