Crabtree Valley Mall has landed a new tenant to fill part of the former Restoration Hardware space on the lower level.

Garage, a women's clothing retailer along the lines of H&M and Forever 21, will occupy 4,000 square feet, said Sandra Geist, marketing director of the Raleigh mall.

It will be the Montreal retailer's first North Carolina store. Garage has about 100 locations — the majority in Canada. The closest store to the Triangle is at Tysons Corner in McLean, Va.

Construction on the Crabtree store begins in May and it should open this summer, Geist said.

Geist said the mall is close to signing a lease for the rest of the space, as well.

It's Friday so it's freebie time.

Here are a few to get you started but please check back a bit later for a round-up of Halloween freebies.

Make plans to take your kids to the Lego store at Crabtree Valley Mall on Tuesday, Sept. 6, to make a free mini model.

This month's model is a miniature scarecrow.

The fun begins at 5 p.m. for kids ages 6 to 14.

If you can't make it this time around, there's a new workshop the first Tuesday of every month.

Click here for more details.

Tom Meyer, the owner of The Q Shack at North Hills, is opening another location at Raleigh's Crabtree Valley Mall.

Meyer says he's taking over the space previously occupied by Dixie Belle's Smokehouse in the food court. Since little renovation is needed, Meyer hopes to open by July 1.

Crabtree Valley Mall has found a big-name tenant to fill its vacant Crate & Barrel space.

Designer furniture retailer Arhaus has leased 20,000 square feet, including the entire Crate & Barrel store, the Foot Action space and part of the Deb store. The Deb store is going to be smaller and Foot Action will move near Belk in June.

Crate & Barrel left the mall early this year when it relocated its Triangle store to the Streets at Southpoint in Durham.

It will be the first store in the Carolinas for Arhaus. The company is looking at a January 2012 opening, though it may open before the holiday.

American Eagle Outfitters announced this morning that it will open 77kids, its brand aimed at children 12 and under, at Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh. It is one of seven 77kids stores that the company is opening and the only one announced for North Carolina.

In addition to mini versions of typical American Eagle clothing, the stores will be designed to appeal to kids. Expect games projected onto the floor and interactive touch screens that let children select outfits that will then appear on them virtually like digital paper dolls.

In addition, American Eagle is launching a brand called little77. For babies up to 18 months, the line features trendy denim, graphic tees and hoodies. Those items also will be available in the 77kids store.

Sandra Geist, marketing director for Crabtree Valley Mall, said there wasn't a definite opening date for 77kids yet but expected it would be open by fall. It will go into the Martin + Osa space that recently closed.

Martin + Osa was an American Eagle brand aimed at customers older than the company's core teen clientele. It never took off and the company announced in March that it was closing all 28 of those stores.

Crabtree Valley Mall continues to sign new tenants:

*The Spa at Crabtree recently opened on the lower level near LEGO.
*Formals by Diamond is open on the upper level near Belk selling formal gowns and formal wear.
*Foot Locker Kids will open in April on the lower level of the Hudson Belk wing
*Master Cuts will open this spring on the lower level near Center Court.
*Carmen Carmen salon will open in April on the lower level next to Belk.
*Rockport shoes will open in April on the upper level of the Belk wing.
*And Ticket Master services will be available starting this Spring at the Guest Services desk in Center Court.

An official opening date has not yet been set for the Raleigh H&M store at Crabtree Valley Mall. The official word is still "Spring 2010."

But I can absolutely guarantee that they are working on the store. Want proof? Check out these photos from very early this morning. The mall installed the 10,000-pound air conditioning unit for the store -- and needed a helicopter to get the job done! (More photos when you click "Read More!")

Almost 200 prospects turn out at Crabtree Valley Mall on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009 to audition for a local production of High School Musical 2.

Starting Feb. 9, Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh will close a half hour earlier than normal Monday through Saturday.

The mall's new hours will be Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. Department stores and restaurant hours may vary.