DANVILLE — The new anchor store at the Village Mall, Dunham's Sports, will open for business on Friday following a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The Michigan-based Dunham's Sports will occupy the former Hobby Lobby space at the mall. The site has been under renovation for several months since Dunham's Sports and the owners of the Village Mall, the Tabani Group, signed a lease earlier this year.

Jeff Lynn, chairman and chief executive officer of Dunham's Athleisure Corporation, said in a news release that the company's market research has indicated that the Danville area fits perfectly into Dunham's growth strategy, and the company is excited about its continued expansion in Illinois.

Cindy Compton, mall manager, said mall officials are really excited about Dunham's opening, and excited about having another entrance into the mall from the north end. Customers will be able to access Dunham's from the parking lot west of the mall or from inside the north end of the mall.

"It will really increase the traffic on that end of the mall," she said.

Compton said the mall is very close to signing another anchor tenant, which would occupy the former Goody's space. And, she said, there are two other tenants that the mall is in discussions with, and those discussions are looking very promising.

"We are hopeful those will soon be announced," said Compton, who added that she cannot disclose the identities of any of the potential tenants until leases are signed.

Compton said the mall also will be installing a new play area for children near the center court of the mall. It will have a woodland theme, she said, and should be in place in early December.

Dunham's offers traditional sporting goods and athletic equipment and a variety of active and casual sports apparel and footwear. According to company officials, the Danville store will be tailored to the local market with a larger selection of athletic and outdoor apparel, expanded hunting and fitness departments, plus a large value area, featuring footwear and a Fairway Center golf shop.

Dunham's was founded in 1937 in Detroit as Dunham's Bait and Tackle and has grown to more than 150 stores in 12 Midwestern states. In Illinois, Dunham's has stores in Jacksonville, Peoria, Pekin, Galesburg and Mt. Vernon, and several stores in northeastern Indiana.