Nordstrom boss 'overwhelmed' by reception at Ottawa opening
Paula McCooey, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: March 6, 2015, Last Updated: March 6, 2015 12:42 PM EST
After months of anticipation and celebrations, thousands of eager shoppers turned out for the opening day of Canada’s second Nordstrom location at the Rideau Centre Friday morning.
Hundreds lined up hours before the pre-opening beauty bash that started at 7:30 a.m. Elegant beauty stations were set up in the middle of the party on the mall’s first floor where stylists pampered the crowd with consultations and makeovers using luxury fragrance and cosmetic brands like La Mer, Chanel, Diptyque and Tom Ford.
The energy was palpable with DJ’s pumping out music while dozens of well-manicured Nordstrom employees fawned over guests — whether it was handing out free totes and samples or serving complimentary coffee, juice and croissants, customers were happy with the effort put into the glitzy launch.
“This is great,” said shopper Ugesh, who poured a cup of coffee at the long breakfast table. “I feel like they really value their customers.”
Claire, another visitor, kicked off her birthday celebrations with a complimentary makeover at the party. “I had to come down, I love the energy here.”
The opening went off without a hitch, save for a last-minute sound glitch 20 minutes before the official opening at 9:30 a.m. Nordstrom spokesman John Bailey was sent scrambling for technical fix.
The hiccup was smoothed over by the time the employees lined the aisles to welcome the customers as they counted down to the launch — a store tradition — to welcome and applaud the first customers through the doors to the 157,000 square foot department store.
Erik Nordstrom, president of the Seattle-based company’s of Nordstrom Direct division scanned the customers thronged around him moments after the doors opened. He called the turnout “overwhelming.”
“I’ve open a lot of stores and I don’t remember an opening like this.”
Nordstrom, a leading fashion specialty retailers based in the United States, marked the grand opening with a glitzy charity gala on Wednesday. The sold-out event raised $180,000 for the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation and United Way Ottawa.
Attendees were treated to hors d’oeuvres, desserts, cocktails and live entertainment, in addition to being among the first to shop the new 157,000-square-foot store that include a mix of apparel, shoes and accessories for women, men and children.
pmccooey@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/PaulaMcCooey
http://ottawacitizen.com/life/fashio...nordstromtweet
Prev
Linear Mode
