Nordstrom touts new Fashion Show store

Jennifer Robison

Friday, Aug. 23, 2002 | 11:11 a.m.

Nordstrom representatives today showed off their new store under construction at the Fashion Show mall on the Las Vegas Strip.

After a decade of interest in Las Vegas, the Seattle-based retailer has had plenty of time to study the market carefully in preparation for the Nov. 1 opening of its first Las Vegas store.

Among their findings: The Las Vegas Valley is home to 26,000 Nordstrom credit-card holders, compared to the usual 4,000 to 5,000 cardholders in other markets without Nordstrom stores.

Also, at 200,000 square feet, the Fashion Show Nordstrom will be larger than the company's standard prototype, which generally ranges from 140,000 to 170,000 square feet.

"This is our first store in Nevada, so we want to make sure we're housing everything we want to offer," said Amy Jones, a spokeswoman for the company. "We need a store that size to meet the many different markets in Las Vegas."

Those markets include the 35 million tourists and conventioneers who visit the valley annually, in addition to the 1.5 million residents who live here.

Jones said Nordstrom merchandise buyers have been scoping out fashion preferences among locals by visiting restaurants and talking to valley residents.

She said they've found dressing in layers is important in the market, since residents regularly go from air-conditioned buildings into outdoor environments that are up to 40 degrees hotter.

In addition, she said Nordstrom merchandise buyers expect golf attire and swimwear will be popular year-round in the valley, unlike in other markets.

"What locals are looking for is different from what tourists want," Jones said. "This town has a lot of special events and parties, so special occasion (attire) will be very important."

Nordstrom, which opened in Seattle in 1901 as a shoe-store company called Wallin & Nordstrom, will begin in September to hire about 350 local employees to staff up its store.

The company has no additional stores planned in the valley, and Jones said the retailer doesn't have near-term plans to open more Nordstrom Rack stores to go with the one already open on South Eastern Avenue.

"We want to get this store open first and see how people like us," she said.

If the community's response to Nordstrom is any indication, there's a pent-up demand in the valley for the retailer.

The company runs ads in markets it's entering to ask residents to "help build" the store by offering merchandise preferences.

When Nordstrom ran ads in Phoenix for a store opening in Chandler, Ariz., about 350 people responded. Similar Nordstrom ads locally drew 2,000 responses.