Finishing touches on Friedmans

Alex Ramey of Rama Creek Habitat Restoration of Monterey, begins to design one of the living walls near the nursery of Friedmans Home Improvement store.

Almost two years after the Petaluma City Council approved the Deer Creek Village shopping center, the plazas anchor store, Friedmans Home Improvement, will open its doors in April.

Friedmans, which also has stores in Santa Rosa, Sonoma and Ukiah, first planted its roots in Petaluma in 1946. Contractors, farmers, ranchers and home owners will soon be able to find a variety of home improvement and professional supplies along North McDowell Boulevard.

Were excited to return to our roots in Petaluma, said David Proctor, Friedmans chief financial officer. Being established in Petaluma and finally getting back there is truly a company objective that Bill Friedman, in particular, feels is meaningful to the memory of his father and the future of the family.

Thanks to continually good weather, the Friedmans complex will be completed no later than the end of March and is set to open in mid to late April, according to Greg Geertsen, managing director of Merlone Geier, the centers developer.

Friedmans Petaluma location totals 85,000-square-feet, with a 20,000-square-foot greenhouse and a 35,000-square-foot dry shed. Each aspect of the complex features a unique design from living walls displaying a mosaic of perennial plants to murals depicting the Sonoma County landscape.

Friedmans has been a great tenant partner for us, Geertsen said. We spent a lot of time working together to make this happen. Theyre very community oriented, so the design of the building reflects Petaluma and Sonoma County.

Proctor said Friedmans is in the process of hiring almost 100 positions for its Petaluma store. Theyve received hundreds of applications and have started training the 40 or so employees who have already signed on.

While Merlone Geier is currently in the midst of signing three new leases for the shopping center, the only other confirmed tenants are Togos, Habit Burger, Marys Pizza Shack and City Sports Club the latter of which is expected to begin construction early this month.

Geertsen said the buildings that will house Togos and Habit Burger are already under construction, and the foundation work for Marys Pizza is currently underway.

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Finishing touches on Friedmans