DALTON, Ga. — Kim Wilson peered through the door of the Ross store in the Walnut Square shopping center Monday afternoon.

“It looks close,” said the Dalton resident. “Do you know if they’ll be opening soon?”

If all goes according to plan, Ross and several other stores in the shopping center on the site of the former Kmart on West Walnut Avenue could be open by the middle of March, according to Jim Otis, the Omaha, Nebraska, developer behind the project.

“Ross is scheduled to have a soft opening on March 8 and a grand opening on March 9,” Otis said.

The exact nature of a soft opening differs from store to store or even opening to opening, but it generally describes an opening without any advertisement or fanfare and without any special promotions.

Ross is a discount department store chain headquartered in Dublin, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

“Ulta is scheduled to open March 8,” Otis said.

Ulta is a chain of cosmetics and skincare stores based in Bolingbrook, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.

Otis said Rak Outfitters, which sells outdoor apparel and gear, is also scheduled to open on March 8. Rak Outfitters will be moving from a location across from the shopping center on Walnut Avenue into a larger store.

A spokesman for Kay Jewelers said the store will be moving from the Dalton Mall to the shopping center in late March or early April.

A sign is already up on the AT&T store in one of the outbuildings.

“We turned that property over to them on Feb. 25, and it’s going to take them 30 to 45 days to build out,” Otis said. “So I’d expect them to be open around the end of March.”

Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce President Rob Bradham welcomed the news that more stores will be opening in the shopping center soon.

“I’m excited to see more stores open at Walnut Square shopping center,” he said. “This site was a highly visible eyesore in our community for a long time. Now it’s becoming a vibrant retail center we can be proud of.”

Food City and PetSmart opened there in January. The 48,600-square-foot Food City is the company’s second store in Dalton. There is also a store on Glenwood Avenue.

Dalton Mayor Dennis Mock also welcomed the news that more stores will be opening soon.

“That’s exciting to hear,” he said. “I know a lot of people are looking forward to shopping (in those stores).”

Officials with AT&T, Rak Outfitters, Ross and Ulta did not immediately return telephone and email messages on Monday.