Ross, Five Below stores coming to Sun Ray Shopping Center on St. Paul’s East Side

Last fall, a third of square footage in Sun Ray was available for lease. Neighbors and officials have complained of what they saw as disinvestment in the center.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
February 21, 2024 at 9:37PM
The sign at Sun Ray Shopping Center shown in November after it was repainted. (Greta Kaul)

Retailers Ross Dress for Less and Five Below are coming to Sun Ray Shopping Center, just off Interstate 94 on the eastern edge of St. Paul.

Brixmor, the company that owns Sun Ray, recently updated its website to show the two stores in the middle of the strip mall in space that formerly housed Snappy Furniture. Both stores have signed leases, property manager Emilee DeCoteau confirmed. Their opening dates are not yet known.

The stores will be a welcome sight to frustrated neighbors and officials who have complained of what they perceived as disinvestment in the center, where East Siders go to shop for groceries and other goods. Last fall, roughly a third of the square footage at Sun Ray was available for lease.

The strip mall’s sign — which is highly visible from Interstate 94 and had shown signs of wear — was repainted late last year.

Similar to the T.J. Maxx that closed in Sun Ray in 2022, Ross sells store-brand clothing and home goods at a discount. The retailer has one other store in Minnesota — in St. Cloud — according to its website. Five Below, a discount store aimed at tweens and teens, has several locations in the Twin Cities.

In 2025, the new Gold bus rapid transit line, with service between downtown St. Paul and Woodbury, is expected to open with a stop at Sun Ray.

about the writer

Greta Kaul

Reporter

Greta Kaul is the Star Tribune’s Ramsey County reporter.

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