La Encantada and Tucson's Luxury Gap
Before La Encantada, Tucson had shopping in the way it has weather: reliably, predictably, and with a certain sameness you learn to work around. What it did not have was an upscale address for retail desire.
People with money and the habit of spending it on luxury brands developed a second habit: driving to Phoenix or Scottsdale, or flying somewhere with better options and worse parking.
That absence mattered more than people wanted to say.
The city was not just losing money; it was also missing out on the simple joys of modern life, like looking around in stores, having lunch that turns into dinner, and buying things that feel special instead of just routine.
La Encantada's promise was simple: to fix what was missing without drawing too much attention. It would look like it fit into the Sonoran Desert, and it would feel like a real Main Street, not a closed-off building.
Built in the Catalina Foothills at Skyline and Campbell, it made it clear and easy to see: you would not have to leave town to shop like this anymore.
1998: Westcor Plans a Tucson Main Street
The idea started in early 1998, when Westcor, then Arizona's top shopping-center owner and developer, began planning a new kind of center for Tucson.
The inspiration was the lifestyle-center idea: open air, easy to walk around, and meant to feel like a place you want to spend time, not just a place to hide from bright lights.
In Arizona, the example was designed Kierland Commons in Phoenix, with its "Main Street" feel and outdoor shopping. The thinking was simple and a bit bold.
If Kierland could turn walking around into shopping in Phoenix, why not do the same in a city where walking is almost a favorite activity for most of the year?
Tucson's problem was not that there were too few shoppers. It was that the right stores were missing.
Fancy brands were not there, and people who wanted them had gotten used to it, like how you get used to a road being closed and stop complaining.
Westcor's plan was to build a fancy place that would keep those shoppers in town, and to make it feel like Tucson, not like something brought in from somewhere else without any changes.
Concrete, Clay Tile, and a 14-Month Clock
Construction started in 2002, and the plan was to finish in fourteen months. The project used a method where one team was in charge of making sure the work stayed on schedule and within budget.
They built a 258,000-square-foot shopping center with two floors, on thirty-seven acres in the Catalina Foothills, just north of Tucson, at 2905 East Skyline Drive.
The design was a Spanish hacienda on purpose. It was meant to fit the Sonoran Desert instead of fighting it. The building itself was simple and strong: concrete and brick walls with steel roof frames.
The details gave it its style, with adobe brick, Mexican clay tile roofs, exposed wood, and ceramic tile decorations used throughout.
Leasing took off early. By 2003, more than eighty percent of the space was already leased, which showed retailers expected the center to draw shoppers as soon as it opened.
2003 Opening Weekend, and the First Lineup
La Encantada opened on November 7, 2003.
In the weeks leading up to it, the center ran a 30-day countdown to opening day, and pre-opening reports said most of the 42 stores and restaurants committed to the project would be ready to operate right away, with the rest slated for later in 2003 and the following spring.
The first phase set the tone with a tight list of names that Tucson had largely been traveling for.
AJ's Fine Foods arrived as the upscale grocer, built for the kind of shopping that turns into dinner plans. Ann Taylor and Anthropologie covered two different ends of the wardrobe spectrum.
Coach and Cole Haan handled accessories and shoes. Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn brought the home category that keeps a center busy beyond weekend traffic.
Lucky Brand Jeans helped keep the place from feeling stiff.
Apple was also part of the early tenant story, though pre-opening coverage did not pin down an exact opening date for the store.
Opening weekend programming leaned into experience as much as retail, including events like Williams-Sonoma cooking demonstrations on Saturday, November 8.
The bigger shift was simple: Tucson finally had a luxury center opening its doors in town.
Phase II Brings Tiffany, Vuitton, and Proof
Phase II came next, bringing in the brands that made La Encantada known as Southern Arizona's top shopping spot.
BCBG Max Azria opened, along with Brooks Brothers and Brooks Brothers Country Club. Louis Vuitton showed up as a big statement.
Sigrid Olsen and St. John made it even more stylish. Tiffany and Co. finished it off with a name so famous that just carrying their shopping bag could make your day feel special.
It also mattered because it was a different kind of shopping center than Tucson's usual retail hubs.
Tucson Mall and Park Place were enclosed, air-conditioned malls, and Foothills Mall was historically enclosed as well.
El Con Center was open-air, but the traditional model across those centers still leaned on big department-store anchors that later struggled and closed.
La Encantada offered a smart new option: an outdoor center focused on carefully chosen specialty shops and high-quality restaurants instead of being built around a department store.
At a time when indoor malls were starting to close across the country, La Encantada's style seemed less risky and more like a smart change.
Dining, Sundance, and the Art of Lingering
La Encantada was built not just for shopping but for taking your time, and the design shows this again and again.
Big courtyards with plants, fountains, and water features make places for people to gather, turning the desert heat into something to work with instead of a problem.
Open walkways let people move around outside, while covered paths and comfortable courtyards make sure you do not feel too exposed.
Wide staircases connect the different levels in a way that feels special, as if going up to the next group of shops is part of the experience.
The center's changes in dining supported the idea of encouraging people to stay longer.
In 2015, restaurant owner Tom Kaufman opened The Living Room Wine Cafe and Lounge in mid-October, taking over the space where Armitage Wine Lounge and Cafe used to be, which is about 3,000 square feet.
This restaurant already had locations in Chandler and Scottsdale and focused on wine, making it a good place for long talks.
Later, in late November 2015, Kaufman opened Tucson Humble Pie in about 2,100 square feet that used to be Bluepoint Kitchen and Bar, adding to his group of restaurants that included several Humble Pie locations, a steakhouse in Chandler, and a sushi restaurant called Rock Lobster.
In November 2018, Sundance, the high-end store, opened with celebrations planned for November 15-17, bringing a touch of style that fit well with a center often called Tucson's version of Rodeo Drive.
From Macerich to Town West, the 2021 Handoff
From the start, La Encantada sat within Westcor's world, and after July 2002, it lived inside The Macerich Company's portfolio through Macerich's acquisition of Westcor.
It stayed there for nearly two decades, until September 17, 2021, when Macerich sold the property to local Tucson investors operating as Town West for $165.3 million.
The deal produced roughly $100 million in incremental liquidity for Macerich, and the new ownership group secured $102 million in acquisition financing.
At the time of the transition, the center was leasing at 93 percent, an occupancy rate that signaled ongoing demand rather than nostalgia.
Today's Roster, Events, and Everyday Logistics
The current mix keeps its upscale identity while tracking changing taste.
Apparel and fashion include Anthropologie, Athleta, Clutch, Creations Boutique, Francesca's, Free People, J.Jill, Johnny Was, Levi's, Madewell, Soma Intimates, and Spirit of Santa Fe.
Other retailers include Tecovas, Tommy Bahama, White House Black Market, and Bluemercury. Lululemon and Warby Parker reflect the shift toward upscale casual and eyewear-driven brands.
Home anchors include Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, West Elm, and Williams-Sonoma. AJ's Fine Foods operates as a specialty grocer with a bistro and patio seating.
Dining includes Ra Sushi, North Italia, Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, True Food Kitchen, Blanco, and Frost Gelato, plus beauty and wellness offerings including AVEDA-branded services.
The Apple Store has been the center's loudest recent renovation story: it moved to a temporary Level 2 location beginning November 9, 2024, then reopened in a redesigned space on June 14, 2025, with more wood finishes, a larger layout, and an Apple Pickup station.
Newness also arrives in smaller forms: in September 2024, gorjana was reported as newly operating at the center; the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck returned for a one-day stop on February 1, 2025
The La Encantada Fine Art Festival took place at La Encantada on November 8-9, 2025, and additional dates were listed for January 17-18, 2026 and March 28-29, 2026.
Today, the place runs smoothly and looks good: it has two floors, free parking, and valet service during busy seasons, plus useful extras like charging stations for electric cars, restrooms on the second floor, and a spot to fill your water bottle.
But the main idea is more than just these features.
La Encantada was built so Tucson shoppers would not have to leave town for high-end stores, and it has kept changing to keep that promise, even after new owners took over in 2021, with stores coming and going, big updates like rebuilding the Apple store, and public events that make the shopping center a place people plan to visit.
