Since Borders in Redmond Town Center (RTC) closed almost five and a half years ago, the space had remained vacant.

This has recently changed with the opening of Ducati Redmond. The elevator and stairs of the space were removed and the Italian motorcycle dealership — which had its grand opening on Saturday — has taken over the first floor of the former two-story bookstore.

The space’s second story is still vacant.

Ducati Redmond at 7325 166th Ave. N.E., Suite F-135 is the new name and location for Ducati Bellevue.

General manager Mike MacConaghy, who started with Ducati Seattle in 2012 before moving to Bellevue, said their old location had issues with accessibility, parking and other challenges.

“It was time to move,” he said.

In addition, the Redmond location is about 25 percent larger than the old store. MacConaghy said the new dealership location in the town center is the first in North America to be located in a mall. Now that they are in their new location, he said he is looking forward to being in front of new people.

Jessica Morgan, marketing director for Redmond Town Center, said they are thrilled to have Ducati Redmond on the property and feel “their well-designed, high-performance Italian motorcycles, accessories and shop is the perfect fit for Redmond’s high-tech, stylish and innovative shoppers, workers and residents.”

“We’ve received quite a bit of feedback from customers about how excited they are about this move from Bellevue to Redmond,” she said.

Prior to last weekend’s grand opening, MacConaghy said Ducati Redmond had been in its location for about three weeks as they were preparing to open their doors to customers.

He added that all of their employees from the Bellevue location have transferred to the new store. They have not hired any additional staff, but MacConaghy said as a motorcycle dealership, winter is typically their slow time. Come summer, as they become busier, MacConaghy said they will hire more people as needed.

According to a Ducati press release, the expanded parking and centralized retail storefront in the town center positions the company for strong growth in the Seattle area.

“This year we broke new ground in the Cruiser &Adventure markets with the new XDiavel and the Multistrada Enduro models supporting our efforts in reaching new customers, and we just unveiled seven new products for 2017, so there’s increasing momentum for Ducati,” said Ducati North America CEO Jason Chinnock in the release. “Seattle and its surrounding communities are known for both outdoor recreation opportunities and technological innovation, two things Ducati also holds dear as core values. We hope the new dealership in Redmond will give local enthusiasts a chance to embrace our high-tech advancements and experience some of the great roads the Pacific Northwest has to offer.”

In the release, Howard Crow, owner of Ducati Redmond and an avid motorcycle racer, added, “The motorcycle lifestyle is important to us. This new location is an incredible opportunity to reach new audiences, including those who frequent the Redmond Town Center who may have not previously been exposed to the brand. There’s a lot of foot traffic in the vicinity, and perhaps we’ll be able to get folks who have always had an interest in motorcycling to hop on one of our bikes and learn how to ride.”

This year, Ducati celebrates its 90th anniversary. The company was founded July 5, 1926 in Bologna, Italy by three brothers, Adriano, Bruno and Marcello Cavalieri Ducati, who were supported by their father Antonio.