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CHICAGO (CBS) ― The Block 37 mall is still in legal limbo, but at least some of its stores are beginning to open for business.

The Steve Madden shoe store and the new underground Pedway, which connects Macys, the Red and Blue Lines and Daley Center, opened on Saturday. Pedestrians can also walk around the entire block for the first time in years.

Spanish clothing retailer "Zara" is slated to open Wednesday, followed by Puma Friday, and several others in the coming weeks.

"Anthropology should be coming on in the next month. We're not sure exactly what the date is," Block 37 General Manager Jim Hansen said. "And then you can see across the back, Godiva, L'Occitane, Sunglass Hut, and down at the end, it's a little tough to see, but Swarovski is going to be coming on pretty soon."

Hansen said shoppers will get an experience at the Block 37 mall that they can't get anywhere else.

"The big thing is, they are going to have some kind of one-of-a-kind retailers," Hansen said.

But there is one more legal cloud hanging over the mall. At 11 a.m. Monday, Bank of America went back to court to determine the fate of the long-troubled project. It has vowed to see it through completion.

The outcome of the hearing had not been learned as of early Monday afternoon.

On Friday, a judge stripped the developer, Joseph Freed & Associates, of control of the project and appointed a receiver to take over. Lenders led by Bank of America had sued Freed, alleging the firm owed $128.5 million on a $205 million loan.

Many shoppers who visited Block 37 on Monday said they like what they see.

"This is something new, and we need this, because I'm sure it's going to give us a lot of jobs and everything," Anthony Ellis said.

Gabe Horstick said, "It's been scaffolding up here for as long as I can remember. It feels like years, and it was just nice to come in and see what will hopefully be thriving center."

But others wondered if it's too little, too late -- with Black Friday just a few days away.

Lynn Ballard said, "I'm excited about it, but I really wish they could get more of the stores open."

Hansen said developers always envisioned a phased opening for the mall. "So we will have a couple of stores open, and then a few more stores open," he said.

Hansen said it's just more manageable that way, and retail experts said even though many stores won't be open by Black Friday, it probably won't hurt their bottom lines too much.

Kim Picciola, Senior Retail Analyst for Morningstar, said "Black Friday, consumers really tend to go those retailers that have the door busters, the big deals, and the retailers that are opening in Block 37, like Anthropology, Zara, Puma, those stores aren't going to have door busters, if you will, as you would see at the big box retailers."

A Lettuce Entertain You food court is expected to open on the third floor in the next several weeks. Eventually, 70 shops and three theaters will occupy the space, Hansen said.

"It's a bit higher level of merchandise,'' said Hansen. "It rounds out the merchandise on State Street."

As of Monday, Hansen said the mall was about 70 percent leased out, and many of the retailers were scheduled to be open for business by spring, with the rest opening their stores by fall of 2010.

For more information on the mall, including a complete list of the stores that will open there, click here.

Several tenants have pulled out since plans for the mall began, most recently the Muvico movie theater and the David Barton gym.

The 22 W. Washington St. building, which houses CBS 2 and the Morningstar independent investment research firm, is also on Block 37, but is not part of the Freed development.

A planned Chicago Transit Authority "superstation" with express train service to O'Hare and Midway international airport is on hold and remains unfinished.

Bounded by Washington Street, State Street, Randolph Street and Dearborn Street, Block 37 once sported a hodgepodge of vintage buildings housing theaters arcades, wig shops, and even a couple of high-end grocery stores.

But in 1989 the entire block was declared "blighted" and all the buildings except a ComEd substation were demolished.

(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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