A vacant warehouse-sized store in Plano is about to get a very different kind of second act.

North Texas Performing Arts is preparing to move into a new home near West 15th Street and Independence Parkway after the organization’s current space at the Shops at Willow Bend closes in December.

The move comes as the Dallas Stars prepare to move into the shopping center.

“In fairness to them, they thought and we all thought, we were gonna have a long home and I think we were all surprised,” CEO Darrell Rodenbaugh said.

Rather than simply find another temporary space, NTPA is transforming an old Holiday Warehouse into a performing arts complex built around its youth programs.

The organization considered only Plano locations and eventually narrowed the search to three possibilities.

“We looked only at Plano locations and then you start applying all those other requirements and we got down to a very small set of options very quickly,” Rodenbaugh said. Those requirements include a large enough space, with high ceilings, and ease of access.

The children’s theatre non-profit hope to start slowly moving in after December 1. The hope is to have the keys to their newly created space by then. Rodenbaugh tells WFAA they are in the middle of a $2.5 million capital campaign called “Save Our Stages” to fund its relocation and buildout of the new central Plano headquarters.

The new facility will include three theaters — two black box theaters and a main stage — as well as four rehearsal studios, two dance studios, private session studios, and a set-build shop.

NTPA has experience turning unconventional spaces into theaters, and Rodenbaugh said the new building will make use of nearly every available inch.

“We’re squeezing a lot into this space. You wouldn’t think that’s possible, but our architect is a genius,” he said.

Demolition is now underway, with the organization targeting its first performance at the new location in January.

“The third week of January we’re putting on our first performance here,” Rodenbaugh said.

NTPA serves nearly 11,000 enrolled children through its theater programs with classes, camps, and shows, across five locations. It was founded 35 years ago as Plano Children’s Theatre.

While the new facility is still taking shape, the organization is already looking ahead to opening night.

“Six months from now, this is going to be a wonderful space with some wonderful productions making a lot of kids very happy,” Rodenbaugh said.