New men's spa and expanded Lili's up next for Galleria

The owner of Lili Salon Spa is moving to new digs at Galleria later this year and plans to add a new concept tailored to men alongside it in the Edina mall.

William Anderson said Thursday that if all goes as planned, Tonic Barber and Lili Salon Spa could open shortly after Thanksgiving in space vacated by the Z Gallerie furniture store at the mall's east end near Cov and Starbucks.

"There's a great need in the Twin Cities for barbering services at a high level," Anderson said. "The opportunity to provide services in this space is outstanding. There are so many more things I can utilize from each business because they're literally next door to each other."

Galleria officials said the announcement was the first of several they will make over the next two months as leases run out and vacancies open up. Several retailers are winding down operations, including Scheherazade, which is liquidating in bankruptcy, and Creative Kidstuff, which is closing all Twin Cities stores.

Galleria general manager Wendy Eisenberg said it was too soon to provide details "until all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed."

Additionally, some of the mall's larger stores will be moving to new locations during the next 18 months or so.

Restoration Hardware is building a new site on a corner of Southdale Center's parking lot and likely will relocate at the end of the year. Gabberts has said it will move to a new flagship store in Bloomington sometime in mid- to late-2020.

"We're always sad to see retailers go, but it does give us the opportunity to rework the property and bring in new and exciting concepts," Eisenberg said.

Eisenberg said Tonic Barber and an updated Lili's will provide a spark to the east end.

"It's always exciting to have a local retailer become successful and get to the point where they want to expand to satisfy customer demand," she said. "To couple that with William's vision for men's grooming and Tonic Barber elevates the entire salon concept for us. It's a major tenant for us to have there."

Anderson has been walking the hallways at Galleria since 1983 when he started working for a different salon there. "It feels like home to me," he said.

The new space at Lili Salon Spa will be larger and more modern with a few new services, including deep treatments for scalp and hair health.

Tonic Barber will offer services such as haircuts, hot towel shaves, shiatsu massage and medi-spa services also available at Lili's, including Botox, Kybella and fillers.

Anderson said he had been working on a refresh of Lili's current space, where it has operated for six years, while also laying the groundwork to launch a separate upscale men's grooming business.

When the California-based furniture chain Z Gallerie announced it was closing its Edina store as part of a nationwide cost-cutting move in bankruptcy, Anderson said he jumped at the chance to pair the brands side-by-side in a new location.

Jackie Crosby • 612-673-7335 Twitter: @JackieCrosby