The grand opening of Macy̢۪s at River Park on Wednesday Oct. 28 was a tremendous success as customers swarmed the store with excitement.

A variety of apparel, shoes, jewelry, home goods, and bed and bathroom decor were showcased with much being discounted to celebrate the birth of the store̢۪s new location.

“We are so excited about the possibilities of this new store, the amount of new merchandise, and just being able to meet the needs of all our customers,â€Â said Meagan Sells, a sales representative at Macy’s.

And although the new location is only 4.6 miles from the Macy̢۪s in the Fashion Fair Mall, store officials believe that the new venue will attract a different clientele.

The Fashion Fair Macy̢۪s is forced to deal with typical mall dilemmas such as overcrowded foot traffic and parking issues, Sells said.

She also added that the River Park building will offer a more open atmosphere for more people to venture in after seeing a movie at the nearby cinema or just after enjoying a family meal at one of the several restaurants within walking distance from Macy̢۪s.

And while these are positives about the new store, it is in a smaller space than the Macy̢۪s at Fashion Fair and thus a constraint is placed on the amount of merchandise available within the store.

“Our focus at this Macy’s is that we want to offer new and different things, but we are still America’s department store,â€Â Sells said.

A lot of higher-end brands will be offered at this Macy̢۪s to match the quality shopping offered at the River Park area. For example, Sells said there will be an increase in the amount of Karen Kane clothing for sale.
However, she said a lot in the store will change depending on what the majority of customers are seeking.

“Because this store is smaller we are really hoping to capture a whole new type of customer,â€Â said Elizabeth Cedilla, Group Sales Manager of Cosmetics.

Beyond the large variety of items the store will have on display for purchase, more than 125 permanent employees were hired as a result of the opening of the River Park store.

The store will operate Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Sunday̢۪s from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

“This is such a convenient location and this whole area is just a fun atmosphere,â€Â Cedilla said. “We are really excited about the new adventure here.â€Â