Staples Inc., the Framingham, Mass.-based office supply retail chain, is making two of its Spokane-area outlets smaller, says a commercial real estate agent with some knowledge of the projects.

Meantime, Party City Corp., a Rockaway N.J.-based party supply chain, is entering the Spokane market with a pair of stores adjacent to or near the Staples projects, says the agent, Carl Guenzel, of Spokane-based commercial real estate brokerage Kiemle & Hagood Co.

Also, Destination XL, a Canton, Mass.-based mens big-and-tall apparel retailer, plans to share a building in Spokane Valley with one of the smaller Staples outlet, Guenzel says. 

In all, three separate projects valued at $3 million are planned or under construction for the retailers. Two projects, which involve new construction, are located in the Evergreen Crossing retail development west of the Spokane Valley Mall, and the other project will involve remodeled space at the Northpointe Plaza shopping center on Spokane’s North Side.

In one of the projects, Staples will move its Spokane Valley store to a new $1.5 million structure that’s under construction at 13804 E. Indiana, in Evergreen Crossing,  just east of a Total Wine & More outlet. Staples will occupy 12,500 square feet of floor space in the 20,300-square-foot structure, and DXL will occupy the remainder of the space in the west portion of the building.

The Valley Staples store currently occupies a 25,000-square-foot building at 15224 E. Indiana next to the Sports Authority store just east of the Spokane Valley Mall.

In the second project, a Party City outlet will occupy a $1.2 million, 11,800-square-foot building to be constructed adjacent to the Staples-DXL project, Guenzel says.

Yost, Mooney & Pugh Contractors Inc., of Spokane, is the contractor on the Evergreen Crossing projects, and Nystrom+Olson Architecture, also of Spokane, designed them, says Guenzel, who negotiated the leases for the Valley Staples, DXL, and Party City projects on behalf of the landlord, Hanson Industries Inc.

In the third project, Permit Advisors, a Beverly Hills, Calif.-based construction consulting firm, has applied for a building permit to erect a partitioning wall to divide the current Northpointe Staples space at 9960 N. Newport Highway into roughly equal space for Staples and another tenant as part of a $410,000 remodel.

Guenzel says the other tenant will be a second Spokane-area Party City outlet.

Jarryd Boyd, a spokesman for Party City, says the Valley store is scheduled to open on Aug. 22, and the Northpointe Store will open Nov. 7.

Party City stores typically have 20 employees, Boyd says.

He says Party City, which operates more than 800 stores in the U.S., plans to enter the Spokane market with its spacious megastore concept that includes themed areas for party favors, birthdays, sporting events, and a candy buffet.

The DXL store tentatively is scheduled to open Oct. 7, says Peter Schmitz, DXL’s senior vice president of real estate and store planning.

Schmitz says DXL stores typically have seven to nine employees.

DXL also operates the Casual Male XL big-and-tall clothing chain, which has a Spokane outlet at 6010 N. Division. Casual Male stores eventually will convert to DXL, which carries more upscale brands as well as the company’s private-label brands, he says.

Staples representatives couldn’t be reached for comment.

Guenzel says he’s seen a number of prospective tenants show interest in the Valley space that Staples plans to vacate when it moves, and he expects that space will be reoccupied by the first of next year.

Kiemle & Hagood also is the leasing brokerage for the Northpointe Plaza property, Guenzel says.

Staples has been downsizing its stores during the lease-renewal process at a number of sites for the past few years. In 2012, the company reduced its Coeur d’Alene store, at 206 W. Ironwood Drive, to 15,500 square feet of floor space from its original size of 24,000 square feet.

Staples also operates another Spokane-area store, at 2624 N. Division, where it occupies 24,300 square feet of floor space.