The Golden East Crossing mall will be 96 percent leased out in time for the Christmas shopping season, mall officials said.

An inflatable children’s play center, national toy store and men’s formal wear store are among the major new tenants expected to open up in the coming weeks, mall officials said.

Flipping Lizards, which has a location in the Wilson Mall, is planning to open in December in 6,000-square-feet of vacant space in the Golden East Crossing mall near J.C. Penney.

In Wilson, the 12,000-square-foot play space has inflatable bounce houses, obstacle courses, a toddler area, four computers and a lounge with a large screen television for parents. The business also offers parties for children.

For an hourly fee, parents can drop off their children at the play center while they shop.

Lesley Barnes, an owner of Flipping Lizards, said they have not decided whether the Rocky Mount mall location will have drop-off childcare or the hours of operation.

“Those details will be forthcoming,” she said.

Scott Tiernan, an associate broker with O’Leary Partners, Inc. that leases out space in the mall, said they are excited about getting Flipping Lizards.

“That will draw traffic to the mall,” he said.

Tiernan said other new tenants will be moving into vacant space by the holiday shopping season.

He said a lease agreement has not yet been signed but is expected to bring a national toy store to 5,500-square-feet of space in the mall food court across from Books-A-Million. He also said a new local café is expected to be occupying 600 square feet of space. He did not want to identify the tenants until an agreement is signed.

Leasing agents for the mall have also been able to replace several large tenants that recently moved out with others offering similar products.

Shoe Department has recently moved into space near JCPenney that was Rack Room Shoes.

“We’re getting another national shoe store but taking up more space,” Tiernan said.

Authentiks, a regional clothing store with 25 to 30 locations in the Carolinas and Georgia, recently moved into 5,200 square feet of space that was Lane Bryant.

P.J.’s Men’s Wear will soon be moving into 3,600 square feet of space by JCPenney that was

S & K Menswear.

“It was suits and formal wear,” Tiernan said. “Basically, we have the same use going in that space.”

Tiernan said the owner of P.J.s has a customer base from as far away as Washington, D.C.

“He pulls from a large trade area,” Tiernan said.

The food court has recently gotten new tenants. 2

Designers Brows and massage, which offers eyebrow treading that shapes the eyebrows and cleans surrounding areas, is leasing out 1,000 square feet in the food court. The business also offers a 30-minute foot massage for $30 in a foot spa, with a 64-point foot massage.

“They are doing very well,” Tiernan said. “There is a lot of traffic there now. The food court tenants are talking about how it’s drawing traffic. They have (one of these shops in Atlanta in pretty much in every mall.”

Another recently opened tenant is Toyko Café, a new restaurant in the food court.

Tiernan said the mall is really looking for local merchants to lease out smaller spaces between 500 and 1,200 square feet, and they are willing to negotiate lease rates.

“We want to diversify the tenant mix. We don’t want the same thing we already have,” he said.

The mall has thousands of square feet of space designated for office use, but no takers yet. Tiernan would like to change that. He said there is 5,000 square feet of space alone next to Bed Bath & Beyond. He said the space could be subdivided.

“In our malls in Atlanta, I’d say at least 10 percent of the mall is office tenants,” he said.

He said the foot traffic from the mall can help some offices like those selling real estate.

Tiernan said they are trying to get the word out about the available office space.

“An insurance office would be great. The exposure at the mall would help (the business),” he said. “We’ve actually talked to a couple of insurance companies. An accountant would be great.”

Tiernan said O’Leary Partners has been close to consummating deals to bring in office space.

“For different reasons it hasn’t worked out so far, but we’d love to have office space here,” he said.

Even with the new tenants, the mall still has several major empty spaces in which tenants recently moved out

A space that was Saslow’s Jewelers, located across from the Great American Cookie Co., sits empty. A large space that was Lady Foot Locker across from the food court also remains empty. And there are several major empty spaces on the Sears wing of the mall.