To create urban villages where people live, work and shop, developers typically bring in "lifestyles" anchor stores.

Renaissance Hardware, for example, is a draw at Phillips Place in south Charlotte, and Banana Republic appeals to fashion-conscious consumers at Birkdale Village in Huntersville.

But in southwest Charlotte, Ayrsley has signed perhaps the region's most unusual lifestyle anchor: an aquatics store selling fish, plants, supplies and equipment for everything from home aquariums to koi ponds.

Fintastic will double its space when it moves in January from 4231 South Blvd. into 10,000 square feet off N.C. 49 (South Tryon Street) at Interstate 485.

"This is an opportunity to be a destination type of store and become part of something new," said owner Greg Sowers.

People will be living within walking distance of Fintastic in the 129-acre mixed-use community, but the location near I-485 also gives it the potential to become a regional attraction, he said.

"They (Fintastic) are a real example of what we are about," said Robert McMillan, who handles retail leasing at Ayrsley for developer Cambridge Partners. "We see ourselves as a gathering place that offers experiences beyond your typical shopping center or mall."

Sowers definitely wants to make Fintastic an experience.

Tanks holding about 12,000 gallons of water and fish, plants and coral will give visitors a vibrant preview of "living art" as it would look inside their homes.

To encourage exploration, he plans to set aside certain times for children's groups and community organizations to tour.

Tropical fish -- those wiggly little creatures you see being dipped out of holding tanks at discount stores -- will be only one of the attractions at Fintastic.

As the popularity of large indoor installations and outdoor water gardens have grown in recent years, so have exotic consumer choices and price ranges.

This store caters to everyone from a child starting an aquarium to an upscale homeowner stocking a pond with koi priced at $500 apiece.

These days, Sowers said, customers generally pay prices ranging from about $100 for a small aquarium setup to $40,000 for a custom-designed acrylic tank and installation.

"Most people spend $500 to $5,000," he said, "but we typically see a $20,000 installation about once a month." The largest custom aquarium installation so far was 760 gallons, he said.

Sowers plans to build a demonstration pond filled with water plants and koi outside the store.

"About two years ago I did $5,000 in pond-related equipment and sales," he said. "In 2003, it went to $128,000. Now it's the fastest-growing segment of my business."

The 12-year-old company has 19 employees trained to help with selection of pet fish and installation of aquariums and aquatic gardens. It also operates a division that maintains ponds and aquariums for customers.

Sowers said Fintastic's offices and custom design center will overlook the showroom floor from a mezzanine at the rear of the building.

Real estate broker Bill Diehl III of Diehl Properties represented Fintastic in negotiations for the space at Ayrsley.

Sowers said he's investing about $750,000 in the relocation.

Fintastic, whose new space was designed by Overcash Demmitt Architects and is being constructed by Thomas Building Co., shares a 32,500-square-foot building with the Steele Creek YMCA and other tenants.

McMillan said this initial phase of retail construction in Ayrsley will total about 80,000 square feet, including restaurants and ground-level space in an office building next to the YMCA.

Cambridge Partners plans eventually to develop 340,000 square feet of retail, 1.8 million square feet of offices, 1,600 multifamily residential units, three hotels and a movie theater.

Lennar Charlotte has started construction in Ayrsley of 77 townhomes selling for $156,900 to $171,900.

Over the past five years, southwest Charlotte has become one of the fastest-growing residential areas of the county.

Pappas Properties is developing 1,050-acre Berewick off Shopton Road West. And Rhein Interests of Charlotte has begun construction at The Palisades, a 1,500-acre golf course community off N.C. 49 near the Buster Boyd Bridge.

Crescent Resources recently disclosed plans for the Sanctuary, off Shopton Road West with 188 private preserves ranging from 2 acres to about 12 acres.

Cambridge Partners' research shows that about 50,000 people a day commute to jobs in the southwest compared with about 55,000 to uptown Charlotte.

I-485 construction has had a major impact on the area. And access should improve further in mid-October, when the state expects to open a segment in west Mecklenburg from the N.C. 49 interchange to Wilkinson Boulevard and Interstate 85.

Sowers said that will make his trips to the airport to pick up imported fish easier and faster.