SHOPPING MEETS STYLE IN NEW STORE NORDSTROM REALLY ROLLS OUT THE RED CARPET TO ROMANCE ITS CANOGA PARK SHOPPERS.Byline: JULIA M. SCOTT Staff Writer CANOGA PARK -- To help a store opening in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, , a marketer polled shoppers: What is Nordstrom? The overwhelming answer: a refrigerator dealer. But the department store overcame that obscurity, and now Nordstrom Inc. has grown into a booming chain with 99 locations across the country. The Nordstrom at the Westfield Topanga Westfield Topanga, formerly known as the Westfield Shoppingtown Topanga and more commonly known to locals as the Topanga Mall or Topanga Plaza, is a two-story shopping mall consisting of 230 tenants spread across three sections. mall became one of the company's most successful. Now, company officials think the new three-story, 200,000-square-foot store opening Friday at the Canoga Park mall will bring in even more sales. ``People like fashion there,'' said Erik Nordstrom, great-grandson of founder John W. Nordstrom John W. Nordstrom (John W. Nordström) (February 15, 1871 - October 11, 1963) was the co-founder of the Nordstrom department store chain. He was born in Luleå, Sweden on February 15, 1871 and emigrated to the United States at the age of 16. . ``They are very current, they know the trends, and when we bring newness to that store, it does terrific.'' Nordstrom built the Canoga Park store as part of a $500million renovation of the mall, which includes a new wing and 130 new retailers. The new Nordstrom has come a long way since the days when boxes of shoes towered over a lone glass case in an open showroom at the company's first store in Seattle. Now, stone floors shine amid highly stylized styl·ize tr.v. styl·ized, styl·iz·ing, styl·iz·es 1. To restrict or make conform to a particular style. 2. To represent conventionally; conventionalize. displays. A pool table and mounted racks of brightly colored pool balls greet male shoppers. Ornate or·nate adj. 1. Elaborately, heavily, and often excessively ornamented. 2. Flashy, showy, or florid in style or manner; flowery. creme and gray wallpaper, retro [Latin, Back; backward; behind.] A prefix used to designate a prior condition or time. portraits of young beauties, and massive framed mirrors give one women's section a glamorous vibe. A dressing room in the youth section resembles a teenage girl's bedroom, with curvy pink couches and overstuffed o·ver·stuff tr.v. o·ver·stuffed, o·ver·stuff·ing, over·stuffs 1. To stuff too much into: overstuff a suitcase. 2. To upholster (an armchair, for example) deeply and thickly. pillows. Having the clothes laid out just so makes a big difference, said David Lindsey, head of store planning for Nordstrom. ``Shopping is really an experience,'' Lindsey said. Wide aisles, bright lighting and views stretching across each floor complement mannequins dressed to the nines. ``We call it romancing the merchandise,'' he said. Along the back walls, cubbyholes hold offerings by top-tier designers such as Channel, Gucci and Dior. This Nordstrom will have the broadest selection of designer labels, store officials said. Mixed with the slick newness of the store are slices of the original Nordstrom. Nordstrom's shoe departments are some of the biggest around, a nod to the business's beginnings as a shoe-repair and retail store. Founder John W. Nordstrom, a Swedish immigrant, made a small fortune gold mining in Alaska. He used the money to open a business with a friend who repaired shoes. More than 100 years later, the Topanga store will have six shoe departments, three for women and one each for men, children and teens. The store carries enormous shoe sizes A shoe size is a numerical indication of the fitting size of a shoe for a person. Several different shoe-size systems are still used today worldwide. In some regions, it is even customary to use different shoe-size systems for different types of shoes (e.g. , up to 14 in women's and 20 in men's. That tradition dates back to the days when the original Nordstrom stocked sizes for his big-footed Swedish immigrant friends. But Nordstrom will have competition. A slew of specialty stores Noun 1. specialty store - a store that sells only one kind of merchandise shop, store - a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services; "he bought it at a shop on Cape Cod" such as Furla, Coach and Burberry will also open in the Topanga mall Friday. And Neiman Marcus Neiman Marcus U.S. department-store chain. It was founded in Dallas, Texas, in 1907 by Herbert Marcus, his sister Carrie Marcus Neiman, and her husband, A.L. Neiman. is slated to open in 2008 after rebuilding the old Nordstrom building. Analyst Dana Telsey thinks that won't be a problem. ``There's room for both of them,'' Telsey said of the two department stores This is a list of department stores. In the case of department store groups the location of the flagship store is given. This list does not include large specialist stores, which sometimes resemble department stores. . As for the smaller retailers, ``there can be a difference between a specialty-store shopper and a department-store shopper,'' she said. julia.scott(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3735 CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color) Models walk the runway during a fashion show for the grand re-opening of the Canoga Park Nordstrom on Tuesday in a tent outside the store. Nordstrom officials say this store, which opens Friday, will have a broad selection of designer labels and six shoe departments. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer |
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