Schnitzer West LLC has put the Shops at the Bravern up for sale, the company announced Friday.

Dan Ivanoff, founder and managing investment partner at Schnitzer West, said they began receiving some unsolicited offers for the 309,000-square foot luxury retail space. Eight or nine days after buyers learned the status of the property, Ivanoff said 68 candidates registered as potential buyers.

“The logic tended to say that it looks like there’s a market window open right,” Ivanoff said.

Reselling the property was always part of the plan after Schnitzer West closed the deal to acquire the space in December of 2000. The Shops opened in September 2009, in the depth of economic recession, after nearly a decade of planning. Sales the first year were down from 2008, Ivanoff said. But 2010 showed improvement and 2011 has been a very strong sales year, he said.

The complex also features office and residential towers. Two office towers, housing mostly Microsoft operations, were sold to an Iowa-based firm in 2010, for $410 million. Schnitzer West will continue to own the residential towers, which were completed in 2010.

Ivanoff said the Bellevue demographics were of great interest to potential buyers. Bellevue represents one of the top five demographics in the country to some of these buyers he said.

Much of the risk associated with a high-end retail spot has dwindled as well. The space is more than 80 percent occupied, with no further construction needed. The complex features a strong anchor in the 125,000-square foot Neiman Marcus store, the only such location in the Pacific Northwest.

Representatives for Schnitzer West declined to name any potential buyers for the location. Ivanoff did note that he would not be interested in an offer from Bellevue Square and Lincoln Square owner Kemper Freeman.