<p>Work is progressing on The Trails in Silverdale. LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN</p>

SHARE Stylist Joshua Palacios blow-drys Olympia resident Ariel Vekichâs hair during the Thursdayâs opening of Ulta Beauty at The Trails in Silverdale. MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN Ulta Beauty at The Trails in Silverdale. MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN Romika Taylor, of Bremerton, is reflected in a mirror as she browses the many brands of makeup lining the shelves Thursday at Ulta Beauty at The Trails in Silverdale. MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN Colorful bottles of nail polish line a shelf Thursday at Ulta Beauty at The Trails in Silverdale. MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN

By Tad Sooter of the Kitsap Sun

SILVERDALE — Construction workers still outnumbered customers Thursday on the first day of business at The Trails at Silverdale.

Drivers threaded between orange traffic cones and machinery in the parking lot to find their way to the new shopping center’s debut business, a sleek Ulta Beauty cosmetic store and salon.

Inside, store manager Melody Powers said she was anxious for more neighboring shops to open but pleased to see so many shoppers already trickling into The Trails. Crews finished paving the entrance late Wednesday, she said.

“We were super surprised about how many people knew about us and were waiting for us to open,” Powers said.



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Customers will have to wait a little longer to sample other stores and restaurants at The Trails. Next up are HomeGoods and an AT&T store, both set to open Oct. 25, according to a news release from developer CenterCal properties.

Additional tenants will open in the winter and spring. A Blazing Onion burger grill and bar is expected to open by the end of the year. A Corner Bakery Café and MOD Pizza, not previously announced, will join the mix in early 2016, along with Chipotle, Pacific Dental, Select Comfort, Total Wine and More and Verizon.

“We are excited to help celebrate the opening of the first of many new tenants in the Silverdale community,” CenterCal President Jean Paul Wardy said in a release. “We very much look forward to a series of store openings between now and next spring that will dramatically increase the range of shopping and dining choices in the area.”

Other expected tenants include a DSW shoe store, Gap factory outlet and Forever 21. A tenant for the center’s grocery store space has not been announced. The 212,000-square-foot Trails at Silverdale has room for about two dozen businesses.

Most of The Trails tenants will be new to Kitsap County. Ulta Beauty has about 800 stores nationwide, making it the largest cosmetic chain in the country. Powers said Ulta seems to have a strong following with military spouses, which might add to the popularity of The Trails location. The Silverdale store and salon opened with about 40 employees. HomeGoods operates about 500 stores, including one in Gig Harbor.

The Corner Bakery Café, announced Thursday, could be the first in Washington. The next closest location for the fast-casual dining chain is in Meridian, Idaho. MOD Pizza, also announced this week, is a “made on demand” custom pizza restaurant with several Seattle-area stores.

Developer CenterCal Properties and contractor Robinson Construction Co. broke ground on the project in August 2014. The development is located at 11999 Pacific Crest Place, off Greaves Way, near the interchange of Highways 3 and 303.

Workers are finishing buildings and landscaping at the 30-acre site. The CenterCal announcement promised The Trails will be a “walkable destination” with outdoor fire pits, water features and seating.

The Trails will host a harvest festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 25 to celebrate the opening. Ulta Beauty will hold a grand opening ceremony Oct. 23-25.