“I've always worked in big markets, and I'm excited being in a little bit smaller market where I can be a little bit closer to the community,” Brian Murray said Thursday.
Murray stepped into the job Monday. In another possible boon for Macy's and the Front Street neighborhood, a parking structure at the southeast corner of Front and Pattee streets looks headed for the fast track, according to the Missoula Redevelopment Agency director.
Plans are beginning to come together. MRA director Ellen Buchanan said a land purchase for parking is in the works and she expects the parties involved to sign a deal before the end of the year.
First Interstate Bank is negotiating the purchase from Macy's and the owners of the Holiday Inn Downtown at the Park, she said. Its own building is scheduled to open on Front Street in September 2009.
“We won't have a parking garage open and ready for cars on the day the office building is open,” Buchanan said. “But the (Missoula) Parking Commission is making temporary arrangements to mitigate that.”
A parking garage is slated for a quick turnaround, though, as the MRA board has recommended the structure head to the fast track. Basically, Buchanan said that means design and construction teams get pulled together on the front end of the project. The coordination compresses the timeline and can save eight to 12 months.
Planned is a four- or five-story structure with 300 to 400 spaces. The spaces will be for leased parking, employees, and will serve First Interstate Bank, Macy's and others. Buchanan said retail is slated for the Front Street level of the building.
The Missoula Downtown Association has been spearheading efforts to ensure the city center thrives in the future and executive director Linda McCarthy said Thursday she welcomed news of the general manager's arrival to downtown's anchor store.
“Obviously, we're thrilled, and we're excited to share with them (Macy's) what's going on with the master plan,” McCarthy said of the Greater Missoula Downtown Master Plan.
McCarthy also said she is excited that Murray comes from another downtown store. For the past year and a half, he was the assistant store manager for the Macy's in downtown Seattle.
“I think downtown stores always have more character, so I think that really adds to the atmosphere of the shopping experience,” Murray said.
He himself has been getting to know the one-of-kind spots in the Garden City's downtown. Murray said at first he steered to Starbucks, a familiar coffeehouse to a Seattle resident. But he's since tasted the Americanos at Butterfly Herbs and it's become his favorite coffee spot.
He's also eaten dinner at the Iron Horse, bought historical books at Fact & Fiction and perused La Bella Vita, “a wonderful home furnishings store adjacent to our store.”
At work, he's preparing for Black Friday specials, holiday marketing and a meeting with his regional vice president. Macy's, he said, is doing better financially than most competitors and isn't getting much credit for its success among struggling retailers.
“We're winning the loser race, but you know, we'll take it. I'd rather be on this end than the other,” he said.
The move brings Murray closer to one of his favorite places, Yellowstone National Park. He said when the weather warms up, he'll likely head there in his Airstream. He is moving a partner and four dogs to Missoula, a couple of soft-coated wheaten terriers and a couple of Bouviers.
Murray said before he worked for Macy's, he worked for Saks Fifth Avenue on the East Coast, including stores in Miami, New York and Washington, D.C.
Reporter Keila Szpaller can be reached at 523-5262 or at keila.szpaller@missoulian.com
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