"We actually were working with couple of other tenants, but the landlord was looking for something that catered more toward women, since most of the other stores cater to male customers," Brian Kocour, a senior associate at Grubb & Ellis/BRE Commercial, tells GlobeSt.com. The Salt Lake City-based Homestead Creations LLC signed a six-year lease at more than $7.50 per sf with A&B Properties Inc. of Honolulu. Quilted Bear, a handmade craft, gift and home decor retailer, will move into the retail space by August.

Spread across 20 acres at 1244 S. Gilbert Road, Mesa South Center, built in 1982, consists of 134,000 sf of inline space owned by A&B Properties and 46,200 sf of pad site space. Quilted Bear fills the final block of retail space vacated by Southwest Supermarkets when the grocer closed in 2002. Big 5 Sports and Harbor Freight Tools opened last year in other parts of the former grocery space.

Kocour represented the owner in the lease negotiation. Russ Duncan with Keller Williams' Mesa office negotiated for the tenant.