Here’s Your Definitive Map and Guide for Shopping at Assembly Row

Image via City of Somerville

If you need some retail therapy after watching hipsters bang on buckets and strum some banjos during Porch Fest this weekend, take a stroll over to the new Assembly Row development, where stores are slowly starting to open their doors to customers for the first time.

According to city officials, portions of the long-awaited Somerville project, which includes new housing developments, an updated movie theatre, and a Legoland Discovery Center, will be welcoming patrons as part of a “Grand Opening Season” celebration that will run from May through September.

“We’re excited that our neighbors and visitors soon will be able to indulge in the fantastic array of food, shopping, and attractions that will make Assembly Row a destination unlike anything else in New England,” said Russ Joyner, vice president and general manager of Federal Realty at Assembly Row.

The definitive opening dates for many of the new establishments are scheduled toward the end of May, but a select few stores are already serving customers, including JP Licks, and the AMC Assembly Row movie theater. Officials said places like the Nike Factory Store will open on May 16, and by May 22 through the end of the month, another 18 storefronts will be accessible to shoppers looking to splurge on clothing and food. Those stores, which debut on a rolling basis, are:

Adidas, Brooks Brothers, Charlotte Russe, Chico’s Outlet, Clark’s, Converse Factory Store, Kay Jewelers Outlet, Le Creuset, Luggage Factory, Orvis, Papagayo Mexican Restaurant and Tequila Bar, Pendleton Woolen Mills, PUMA, Reebok, Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH, Steve Madden, and Wilsons Leather.

By the end of September, a total of 32 stores and restaurants will be ready for the public as the first phase of the $1.5 billion redevelopment project comes to an end. An additional 10 new tenants are slated to open just in time for Black Friday in November.

If driving to the new location is too much of a headache, commuters will soon have the option of taking the T to the massive retail destination and neighborhood. A new Assembly Square train station is set to open in the fall of this year. When the entire project is finished, Assembly Row will feature over 500,000 square-feet of retail space, 2,100 residential units, and 1.75 million square-feet of office space. Parks and trails along the waterfront, as well as outdoor event space will also be open to the general public. “As the neighborhood unfolds, the experiences evolve and amenities increase. The crafted collection of restaurants, services, hotel, and open space supported by a new T station creates a place that fosters work, life, and social balance and attracts those that seek it,” according to officials from the Federal Realty Investment Trust, the company that’s developing the mixed-use property.

Here is a list of the other stores that will slowly start to appear as the months go on:

June: Hair Cuttery

July:  Legal on the Mystic, Fuji Restaurant, Soma Salon by Aveda

August: Sugar Heaven, Motherhood Maternity

September: J.Crew, LOFT Outlet Store, Ernesto’s Pizza, PAUL Bakery, and Earls Kitchen + Bar