Glendale Galleria

It was just like any other day at the Glendale Galleria. Swarms of teens crowded the walkways and benches. Some young couples cuddled, as if unaware that the biggest sale of the season was in progress around them. Burbank resident Liz Martinez, 36, likely walked by a few as she executed her expertly planned  operation, with stops to pick up bargains at the Disney Store, Gymboree and Abercrombie. “I came to buy all the expensive clothes for my daughter I can't afford,” said Martinez, arms full with nine large bags of toys and clothing.  At Glendale's Americana at Brand, Glendale resident Adrian Villanueva, 19, was winding down -- and it was only 5:30 a.m. He had already traveled to Best Buy, Fry's Electronics, Target and Krispy Kreme.

The owner of the Glendale Galleria emerged from bankruptcy protection Tuesday with a new operating plan that officials said would have little immediate impact on local consumers. A spokeswoman for the Galleria's owner, Chicago-based General Growth Properties, said there were no immediate plans for changes at the Glendale mega-mall. General Growth owns or operates more than 200 malls. Under the plan, the company restructured roughly $15 billion of project-level debt, and obtained $6.8 billion in new capital, according to an announcement.

Claudia Peschiutta GLENDALE -- Look out. A new eye-wear store is set to open at the Glendale Galleria today. Solstice is owned by LVMH Group Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, an international luxury brand company. The 1,000-square-foot Glendale location will be one of only a handful of Solstice stores throughout the U.S. In November 1999, the company opened a watch store known as Synchrony at the mall. LVMH later decided to close its Synchrony stores because they did not prove to be as successful as the Solstice locations.

A 27-year-old South Gate man was arrested Wednesday evening after he ran from police inside the Glendale Galleria, where a patron allegedly spotted him carrying a gun, police said. Nathaniel Gonzales, who is on federal probation for drug violations, was taken into custody about 7 p.m. after police officers chased him from the mall through the Anoush Banquet Hall on the 400 block of West Colorado Street, according to police reports. A mall patron called police about 6:51 p.m. after noticing Gonzales carrying a gun in his shorts pocket as he walked in and out of the mall near Target, according to police reports.

Darleene Barrientos Want to confess your love for your favorite soap opera? Want to meet the stars from "Days of Our Lives" or "General Hospital?" Want to find out which daytime drama character is most like you? Soap opera fans, you can find all the answers to these burning questions and more Saturday and Sunday at the Glendale Galleria. The Soapin' USA Mall Tour stops in Glendale between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday, and between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday.

Deborah Meron BMX riders, TV stars, fashion advice and giveaways will ring in back-to-school shopping today at "The Scene," an annual teen event at the Glendale Galleria. Last year, about 3,000 people came to be part of the "scene." "We've always done something spectacular for back-to-school," Galleria marketing director Janet LaFevre said. "It's got so many components that there's something for everyone." Stars of the teen TV drama "Degrassi: The Next Generation" will sign free autographs and briefly meet each fan. The Galleria scheduled their appearance because of their popularity with the teenage demographic, which they hope to target for fall sales.

A smiling, pink-nosed Easter Bunny sat on a chair and waved to children as they approached him. Children made their way inside the white-picket fence surrounding the bunny's Gazebo Garden — across from JCPenney — at the Glendale Galleria, to have their pictures taken with him. The Easter Bunny will be available for photos at the Galleria today. Dozens of children and their parents, including Julie Yen and her 3-year-old son, Ethan, stood in line, waiting for their turn to take pictures.

DOWNTOWN GLENDALE — More than a dozen picketers demonstrated outside the Glendale Galleria on Friday to protest what they say are unfair labor practices endorsed by the owner of the mall. The protest came after the Service Employees International Union, which represents 1.9 million workers across the country, filed a complaint Wednesday with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging unfair labor practices against General Growth Properties Inc., which owns the Galleria.

GLENDALE ? Fernando Valenzuela never forgot about the fanfare that swept the Los Angeles area 25 years ago. The former Los Angeles Dodgers star pitcher was the main topic of conversation among the media and the fans who flocked to Dodger Stadium to see him bedevil opposing batters. His eyes rolled upward while delivering one of his patented screwballs, and Los Angeles, particularly the Hispanic population, got caught up in "Fernandomania" as he helped the Dodgers win the 1981 World Series against the New York Yankees.

DOWNTOWN — Piles of once neatly folded and stacked sweaters were strewn about the ground in wrinkled clumps at Mervyn’s department store early Friday morning, signs of a pre-dawn shopping rush that had thousands of consumers sifting for holiday bargains. With Thursday’s Thanksgiving holiday already fading from memory, area retailers were banking on hopes that consumers were ready to jump headlong into the gift-giving winter season. And to coax buyers out of their food-induced slumber before the sun rose, some Glendale Galleria stores offered hundreds of “doorbusters” and one-day-only discounts starting as early as midnight.

Six months after getting the green light from city officials, Glendale Galleria management this week kicked off a comprehensive remodeling project, creating new entrances, facades, floors, escalators and seating at the 36-year-old mall. The work will culminate in the fall of 2013 with the opening of a 120,000-square-foot Bloomingdale's department store at Brand Boulevard and Broadway, where Mervyns once stood. “With this, Glendale Galleria will offer shoppers a much fresher look,” Galleria Senior General Manager Larry Martin said of the overhaul.

Two men pleaded not guilty Tuesday to allegedly burglarizing an AT&T kiosk inside the Glendale Galleria, officials said. Tairez Smith, 22, Willard Hill, 25, who are allegedly connected to a group of organized burglars, were each charged with one count of second-degree commercial burglary and one count of grand theft of personal property, said Jane Robison, a Los Angeles County district attorney spokeswoman. The pair, along with a 16-year-old boy, whose name wasn't released because he is a minor, allegedly stole 24 cell phones and five iPhone cases Sunday from the mall kiosk.

Three men allegedly connected to a group of organized burglars were arrested Sunday after they ransacked an AT&T kiosk inside the Glendale Galleria, police said. Police stopped Tairez Smith, 22, Willard Hill, 25, and a 16-year-old boy, whose name wasn't released because he is a minor, in a red Buick at Columbus Avenue and Hawthorne Street after they allegedly stole 24 cellphones and five iPhone cases from the mall kiosk, according to Glendale police. The trio entered through one of the mall's major department stores just after 8:30 a.m. and headed to the main shopping area, which wasn't open yet, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

A 23-year-old man on probation for carjacking was arrested Monday after he allegedly helped two women try to steal merchandise from the Macy's at the Glendale Galleria and resisted officers, police said. Wilson Moreno allegedly struggled with police officers after they found a baggy containing a Versace card and methamphetamine inside his pant pocket and tried to arrest him. Moreno tried to break free from police restraints, prompting him and an officer to fall to the ground, according to police reports.

The Glendale Galleria - a retail powerhouse whose 1970s-era all-brick façade has been criticized as being overtly drab - plans to undergo a major overhaul in the next two years, including a revamped entrance plaza featuring 11-foot-high letters jutting out of a pool. The project, approved by the City Council on Tuesday, will ditch the mega-mall's windowless, brick exterior, which was typical of shopping malls built in the 1970s, but has become increasingly dated with the rise of the glitzy Americana at Brand and a more mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented downtown.

It was just like any other day at the Glendale Galleria. Swarms of teens crowded the walkways and benches. Some young couples cuddled, as if unaware that the biggest sale of the season was in progress around them. Burbank resident Liz Martinez, 36, likely walked by a few as she executed her expertly planned  operation, with stops to pick up bargains at the Disney Store, Gymboree and Abercrombie. “I came to buy all the expensive clothes for my daughter I can't afford,” said Martinez, arms full with nine large bags of toys and clothing.  At Glendale's Americana at Brand, Glendale resident Adrian Villanueva, 19, was winding down -- and it was only 5:30 a.m. He had already traveled to Best Buy, Fry's Electronics, Target and Krispy Kreme.

While traffic congestion around most malls is worse on Black Friday weekend, the flow on streets around the Glendale Galleria was better last year compared to weekends in December 2010, according to statistics from a major manufacturer of automotive navigation systems. The Galleria ranked seventh among malls with better traffic flow on Black Friday weekend, according to information from TomTom. Mall of America in Minneapolis topped the list, followed by South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa and NorthPark Center in Dallas.

High-end department store Bloomingdale's announced plans this morning to become an anchor tenant for the Glendale Galleria -- a major addition for the mega mall that has struggled to retain its shine against the sway of the Americana at Brand. The Galleria would be Bloomingdale's eighth department store in Southern California and fill a major void after Americana developer Rick Caruso announced plans earlier this year that he was poaching Nordstrom. Without a new tenant, the Galleria would have had two major anchor vacancies -- on Brand Boulevard where Mervyns once stood, and on Central Avenue.

With the Americana at Brand continuing to nip at its heels, the Glendale Galleria today announced a new leadership team for the mega-mall. Larry Martin - who managed the Montclair Plaza for six years - will take over as general manager, the company announced, and Deborah Hearn, a commercial-retail property manager from Seattle, will come onboard as his chief deputy. Chris Bilotto, who was named as the senior general manager at the Galleria in September last year, exited in March and is now a manager for Reit Management & Research.

A 27-year-old South Gate man was arrested Wednesday evening after he ran from police inside the Glendale Galleria, where a patron allegedly spotted him carrying a gun, police said. Nathaniel Gonzales, who is on federal probation for drug violations, was taken into custody about 7 p.m. after police officers chased him from the mall through the Anoush Banquet Hall on the 400 block of West Colorado Street, according to police reports. A mall patron called police about 6:51 p.m. after noticing Gonzales carrying a gun in his shorts pocket as he walked in and out of the mall near Target, according to police reports.