Fenton’s grand opening starts Thursday. Here’s what’s coming to the Cary shopping center.

Update: Fenton’s grand opening Thursday was billed as a “ribbon cutting,” but it could have been a scene from “The Great Gatsby.” Read about it here.

After seven years of development, several pandemic setbacks and a soft opening earlier this year, Cary’s Fenton development will open a wider selection of retail and restaurant options in a “multi-day extravaganza” that begins Thursday afternoon.

The $850 million project is one of the largest retail-driven projects under development in the country, according to Hines, the international real estate investor building Fenton in partnership with South Carolina’s Columbia Development. Construction delays and supply chain challenges forced the duo to delay its grand opening, originally scheduled in April.

Fenton’s first retailers — including Athleta, Sephora, Radiant Waxing, Southern Tide and Williams Sonoma — opened in May. On grand opening day, or by the end of June, visitors can expect a dozen additional options including Altar’d State, Club Pilates, Colletta, Dram & Draught, The Gatorbug, Honeysuckle Gelato, Lululemon, M Sushi, Nike, Paragon Theaters, Pottery Barn and Vestique, according to Hines.

“After seven years of hard work, we are proud to host the official grand opening of Fenton,” said Paul Zarian, managing director at Hines, in a statement. “Whether you choose to visit our retailers, enjoy a fitness class on Fenton Square or catch a bird’s-eye view of Main Street on a hot air balloon ride, there will be dozens of ways to celebrate this milestone for the project and the Cary community.”

More retailers, restaurants and service providers will open after the grand opening, a Fenton spokesperson said. They include Archer Paper Goods, Arhaus Furniture, Bailey’s Fine Jewelry, Boardroom Salon for Men, Crawford Brothers Steakhouse, CRU Food & Wine Bar, Free People, Madewell, One Medical, Sports & Social, Superica, Truist Bank, Truss Vet, Von Kekel Aveda Lifestyle Salon Spa and Fenton Nail Bar.

A full list of retailers and restaurants is included below.

Several days of activity

Fenton will host several days of opening activities to celebrate its launch. Thursday and Friday events are by invitation only. Saturday and Sunday programs are open to the public.

Thursday, June 2

• 4 p.m. Private ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by Hines, Columbia and USAA with the Cary Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Cary and Fenton’s retail and office tenants
• 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tethered hot air balloon rides. Donations benefit Read & Feed of Wake County.

Friday, June 3

• 6:30 p.m. top p.m. A private event open by invitation only

Saturday, June 4

“A day of fun for the whole family, including children and big kids at heart,” Fenton said in a press release. “From celebrity TikTok dancers to buskers, bubbles, music, magic and more, surprises await at Fenton’s grand opening.”

• 8:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. Morning fitness on Fenton Square
• 8:30 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. Bootcamp with Athleta
• 9:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. Fitness class with Club Pilates
• 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Activities on Main Street and Fenton Square, including magic, scavenger hunts, balloon artists, face painters, food trucks, buskers, roller skaters, stilt walkers, a live DJ, chalk artists, Dram & Draught station
• 1 p.m., 1:30 p.m. Anastasia of Atlanta Bubble Show, magic and bubble experiences
• 3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. Participate in a pop-up dance class led by celebrity TikTok creators Cost n’ Mayor and enjoy a dance performance by the dynamic duo
• 3:45 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Selfies and autographs with Cost n’ Mayor
• 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tethered hot air balloon rides. Donations benefit Read & Feed of Wake County.

Sunday, June 5

• 9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. Morning fitness on Fenton Square with Lululemon
• 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sports-themed attractions throughout Fenton, including games of putt-putt
• 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. University of North Carolina’s mascot, Rameses, will be on site
• 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Take penalty shots and selfies with NC FC and NC Courage soccer players, with donations benefiting Read & Feed of Wake County
• 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Meet Sir Purr of the Carolina Panthers and the Top Cats Cheerleaders

List of Fenton stores, restaurants

Here’s an updated list of all the shopping, dining and entertainment options we know of so far.

Retail

• Altar’d State
• Archer Paper Goods
• Arhaus Furniture
• Athleta (open)
• Bailey’s Fine Jewelry
• Free People
• The Gatorbug
• Lululemon
• Madewell
• Nike Live
• Pottery Barn
• Sephora (open)
• Southern Tide (opening May 13)
• Vestique women’s clothing
• Williams Sonoma

Movie theater

Restaurants

• Colletta, an Italian restaurant from acclaimed restaurateur Steve Palmer. Opening in June.
• Crawford Brothers’ Steakhouse, from award-winning chef Scott Crawford. Opening in 2024.
• CRU Food & Wine Bar. Opening in July
• Dram & Draught, a whiskey bar and tap room, already a local favorite in Raleigh and Durham. Opening in June.
• Honeysuckle Gelato. Opening in June
• M Sushi, from renowned Durham chef Michael Lee. Opening in June.
• Sports & Social, which will open as the Triangle’s largest sports bar at 22,000 square feet. Opening later this year.
• Superica, Tex-Mex cuisine from Atlanta-based chef Ford Fry. Opening in July.

Services

• Club Pilates
• LunchboxWax
• The Joint
• Radiant Waxing
• Von Kekel Aveda Lifestyle Salon Spa
• Zen Nail Bar

Grocery store

To be announced. Developers haven’t announced a grocery tenant after Wegmans withdrew plans to open there.

Office space, hotel and residential

• The mixed-use community will include The Offices at Fenton, 200,000 square feet of office space. Compass — the country’s largest independent real estate brokerage — will occupy 8,260 square feet. The firm is Fenton’s first office tenant, and will likely open in the fall.
• A 175-key boutique hotel
• The Allison, a 357-unit luxury apartment community

This story was originally published June 2, 2022 11:03 AM.