OPENINGS AROUND THE SOUND
A look at the area's new stores
Posted April 2008
Nordstrom Rack, the off-price division of Nordstrom, Inc., opened an additional location in fall 2007 at Southcenter Square on Southcenter Parkway in Tukwila. It is adjacent to Kohl’s and DSW Shoes. The new Nordstrom Rack has 35,000 sq. ft.
Southcenter Square is a brand-new mall that opened last year. It has 231,000 square feet and more than 925 parking spaces. It’s within minutes of Southcenter Mall.
Nordstrom Rack sells quality brand name apparel, shoes and accessories for men, women and children at discounts ranging from 30 to 75 percent. It is stocked with special-purchase products from hot brand names, as well as discount goods transferred from Nordstrom full-line stores and the Seattle-based retailer’s robust e-commerce Web site.
Other Nordstrom Rack locations in Washington are in Lynnwood, downtown Seattle, Auburn, Bellevue and Spokane. It first opened in 1975 as a clearance department in the basement of Nordstrom’s downtown Seattle store. Nordstrom Rack has grown into its own division, with 49 locations in 18 states. Goods include clothing, shoes, accessories, bath and beauty products, and home accents.
Nordstrom plans to relocate its full-line store in Tacoma Mall to the new wing of the mall in early October. This brand new store will be a little bigger than the existing Nordstrom and will feature the latest design concepts and fixtures.
There are eight other full-line Nordstrom stores in Washington, located at Bellevue Square, downtown Seattle, Northgate Mall, Tacoma Mall, Southcenter Mall, Spokane, Vancouver Mall and Alderwood in Lynnwood.
Nordstrom also sells through catalogs and its Web site. It is a fashion specialty retailer with 157 stores in 27 states in the U.S. It was founded in 1901 as a shoe store. It also has 35 Faconnable boutiques in Europe.
Cabela’s opened its first Washington retail store November 16 at 1600 Gateway Blvd. N.E., Lacey, about 55 miles southwest of Seattle. The 185,000-square-foot store is near the junction at I-5 and Marvin Road at the Lacey Gateway Project. That’s twice the size of REI’s flagship store in Seattle and larger than a typical Costco. It features everything from baby camo gear to 3/D deer targets.
Cabela’s is an educational and entertainment attraction for everything outdoors. The spectacular store has a two-story mountain replica with waterfalls, plus museum-quality animal displays in simulations of their natural habitats. There’s even a 16,700-gallon aquarium holding hundreds of freshwater fish.
It offers dozens of classes each month on topics such as restoration of outdoor collectibles, backpacking gear, emergency disaster preparedness for boat and home, GPS usage, fly tying and many more topics.
The store is replete with an indoor archery range, live bait area, restaurant, banquet/meeting facilities, boat shop and service, dog kennels, horse corrals, a dump station plus semi and RV parking.
Cabela’s also retails through 75 annual catalogs and its Web site. Founded in 1961, its first store opened in 1987. It began doing business on the Internet in 1998. It has 23 stores nationwide, including Boise and Post Falls, ID.
The Red Balloon Company opened a second Seattle location in October on Capital Hill in the former Rainbow Grocery Building, 417 15th Ave. E. The other Seattle location is in The Tower Building, 624 Olive Way. It also does balloon imprinting, photo balloons and helium tank rentals.
In addition to its retail balloons, card and gifts, The Red Balloon Company provides event decorating and teaches at industry symposiums. Its base is Seattle, where it opened in 1980. It launched a Web site in 1998, where much of its merchandise is available. It was purchased in 1991 by Pioneer Balloon Company.
Beyond Seattle, it has nationwide and international deliveries to selected countries, which may be ordered online. Countries served by The Red Balloon Company are the United Kingdom, Canada, India, Israel and Russia.