Westcor, the company developing Gilbert’s SanTan Village shopping center, signed seven new retailers.

Twirl, a bridesmaids’ boutique, plans to open Saturday in Hilton Village, Scottsdale Road and McDonald Drive in Scottsdale. The store is stocking up unique dresses, accessories, purses and wraps for bridesmaids, brides and flower girls.

NEW YORK - At the peak of their earnings and spending power, women age 35 and over are a huge and potentially lucrative market for the nation’s apparel merchants.

The OfficeMax at Fiesta Village in Mesa is closing Saturday. The office supply retailer is one of two business remaining in the main part of the 15-acre shopping center at the northwest corner of Alma School Road and Southern Avenue.

Gilbert’s SanTan Village has signed seven new retailers. Westcor, the company developing the shopping center, said Build-a-Bear Workshop and Gymboree, are among several child-centric stores that will open in the center.

Bargain hunters alert! Santa, wearing a red-and-green sombrero, is flying in early this year riding on an Indian thunderbird. Sitting behind Santa, Kokopelli is holding on with his knees while he plays “Jungle Bells” on his flute.

Robin Bramman, owner of the new Apricot Lane Boutique, hired a “balloon couture artist” for her grand opening festivities Thursday on High Street, the upscale shopping-dining-residential complex in CityNorth.

LAS VEGAS - Valley-based mall giant Westcor has landed another first-to-the-market retailer.

I’m angry.

In the midst of the holiday shopping season, Gilbert is trying to capture as much of the sales taxes paid by its 220,000 residents as possible.

A new PetsHotel is scheduled to open Saturday inside the PetSmart at 10030 N. 90th St. in Scottsdale.

The interior wall studs for the Gymboree and White House/Black Market in CityNorth's CityCenter are taking shape in east Phoenix.

As summer wears on, sometimes you just need something quick, easy and free to occupy the kids and keep the adults sane. Enter the splash pad, that sure-to-please water playground that lets kids get drenched and burn energy, while parents stay dry and blissfully above the fray of floaties, pool noodles and bag upon bag of gear.

Shantice Tarpley used a sanitary wipe on a baby activity saucer on Friday as her 20-month-old daughter, Lyric, played with toys on the floor.

NEW YORK  - Retailers are accelerating their use of survival tactics — slashing prices further and pulling merchandise off shelves to send to liquidators — as the number of holiday shopping days dwindles.

A Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery has opened on Gilbert Road, just north of Baseline Road in Mesa. One thing is for sure. The place will be fairly revealing.

Westcor expects at least 30,000 people Thursday for a pre-grand opening of SanTan Village, the regional shopping mall near the Santan Freeway stretch of Loop 202 and Williams Field Road in Gilbert.

Linens ’n Things, Mervyns and Shoe Pavilion stores are holding clearance sales.