Looking for space in central Tucson, her broker showed her the 15,562-square-foot space that was once occupied by Hibachi Super Buffet.

“It looked like they had left mid-shift,” Gardner laughed. “There were plates, napkins and soy sauce everywhere.”

The space is now cleaned up and ready for equipment to be installed. Kevin Volk and Jeramy Price, of Volk Co., handled the lease.

More and more, shopping center and mall landlords are looking for tenants that offer services or experiences that cannot be found online with a click.

“The old model for shopping centers was based on true retail, the sales of physical goods,” Volk said. “Going forward, the most successful ‘retail’ projects will feature tenants that are compelling enough to get consumers to leave the comfort of their homes, and the best will have a combination of consumables (groceries, restaurants), services (fitness, beauty) or for experience — in this case — an adventure playground.”

He said the neighboring Sprouts store generates a high number of customers and that “Wild Katz will be an excellent destination that can draw city-wide.”

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Contact reporter Gabriela Rico at grico@tucson.com. On Facebook: Facebook.com/DailyStarBiz

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