Old Navy to open this spring in DeKalb after COVID-19 delayed development schedule

DeKALB – Despite its opening being pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Old Navy plans to open its new store in DeKalb this spring.

City officials wrote in a Wednesday social media post work has resumed on the apparel and accessories store in Oakland Place at 2939 Sycamore Rd.

“After exterior and electrical work was done last summer, construction is now underway on the interior,” city officials wrote in the post.

City officials previously confirmed Mid-America Management Corporation delayed the opening of any new stores, including the new Old Navy location, until this year because of the pandemic. The opening was initially anticipated to happen August or September 2020.

The update comes after an announcement came about a year ago that Old Navy was returning to DeKalb eight years after leaving former location in the city. It will now set up shop at the former Barnes & Noble site at 2439 Sycamore Road in the Oakland Place shopping center.

The former Barnes & Noble had closed in 2014 and has since been temporary Halloween stores. The development plan includes the space being divided into two separate spaces to lease, with Old Navy using 12,500 square feet of it for their store and Mid-America looking to lease the remaining 7,000 square feet to another retailer.

Old Navy’s former DeKalb location was between Michael’s and T.J. Maxx. The store left the Oakland Place shopping center location in February 2012 after being there for a decade.

The former site was divided into two spaces and now houses Five Below and DSW.

The new store is expected to create more than 40 new jobs, according to city officials.