A national children's retail clothing chain plans to open a store by next spring at the Northtown Square shopping center, says John Stejer, president of Stejer Development LLC, of Spokane, which manages the center.

The Atlanta-based clothier, Carter's Inc., has leased 4,700 square feet of retail space next to the Ulta Beauty salon and cosmetic store in a 50,000-square-foot building on the west side of the Northtown Square property at 4727 N. Division, Stejer says.

Stejer also is a partner with Chud Wendle in Northtown Square LLC, which developed the 70,000-square-foot shopping center. The center opened last year at the former longtime location of the Wendle Ford auto dealership.

Stejer says 9,600 square feet of vacant retail space in the west building that originally was designed to house one tenant will be divided into two store spaces, and the Carter's outlet will occupy one of them.

"Now, it's one large storefront," Stejer says. "It will be split into two smaller storefronts with individual facades."

Kilgore Construction Inc., of Colbert, will construct the facades and do some of the tenant improvements, which Spokane-based Nystrom Olson Collins Inc. designed, says Stejer. He declines to disclose the anticipated construction costs. The improvements are expected to be completed in February, and Carter's likely will occupy the space in March, he says.

Northtown Square has more than a dozen tenants, including a Red Lobster restaurant that occupies a 7,100 square foot stand-alone building at the southwest corner of the shopping center property. Other tenants include DSW Shoes, Dressbarn, Starbucks, Palm Beach Tan, Bajio Mexican Grill, HoneyBaked Hams, STCU, Sport Clips, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition, and Snap Fitness. Stejer says 97 percent of the floor space in the center is now leased.

Carter's Inc. owns several children's clothing brands, including OshKosh B'gosh, and operates more than 400 Carter's and OshKosh B'gosh outlets.