Sure, we may have Bloomingdale’s, Barneys New York, Bergdorf Goodman, and Saks Fifth Avenue, but New York City has long lacked two key retailers: Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. Now NYC denizens will be getting one of the two – well, sort of. Taking over the 32,136 square foot space previously occupied by a Virgin Megastore at 1 Union Square South, Nordstrom Inc. will open their first Nordstrom Rack in Manhattan. The mega store is slated for a Spring 2010 opening.
The discount offshoot of Nordstrom carries clearance merchandise from Nordstrom stores and merchandise that was specially purchased from the same brands carried in Nordstrom’s full line stores. Everything, however, is offered at least at a 50 percent discount. The Manhattan store will carry wears for both men and women, along with apparel shoes and accessories (note that children’s wear and shoes will not be stocked). We wonder how Filene’s Basement (which was recently bought up by Syms), feels about this new nearby addition, since they have a multi-level store mere feet away.
The opening comes after years of the mega retailer looking for the right space in Manhattan to open their first full-line store in the bustling city. Alas, the search for that still continues. A spokesperson for the company noted in a press release that they will continue to keep their eyes open, “But, we have not been successful yet; real estate for the size of a Nordstrom store is at such a premium. We’re hopeful that some day it will still happen.”
