Nordstrom’s grand debut

The finishing touches are being put in place for Ala Moana's newest upscale retailer, set to open in March

All the signs, display racks and furnishings are in place, the floors are polished and glass countertops gleaming at the first full-line Nordstrom Inc. department store in Hawaii.

All that remains is for the merchandise to be put in place.

Nordstrom, which is slated to open on March 7, will offer 210,000 square feet of designer fashion labels for men, women and children on three levels at Ala Moana Center.

And shoes -- tens of thousands of pairs of shoes.

The opening comes with quite a bit of anticipation, given that it's the Seattle-based company's 103rd first full-line department store, and its first off the shores of the U.S. mainland.

"It's fair to say we have very high expectations of this store, buoyed by the strong results at Ala Moana Center and our past experience in doing business there," president Blake Nordstrom told the Star-Bulletin. "We're really giving this store our best effort."

Nordstrom has had a presence in the islands dating back 40 years, when it first leased the shoe department at Liberty House. In 1997, Nordstrom struck out on its own with two shoe stores at Ala Moana Center, and then a few years later, opened Nordstrom Rack and Nordstrom Shoes at Ward Centers.

That has helped Nordstrom gain insight into the Hawaii market as well as to build a good foundation for the first full-line store.

Nordstrom signed a letter of intent to open a full-line store at Ala Moana back in 1996, but Liberty House filed suit to stop it. Now all that is history, with Liberty House a Macy's store.

"We're very fortunate to have a strong, loyal and supportive customer base there and a good team," said Nordstrom. "Now we finally get our chance."

The Nordstrom Shoe store at Ward will close, and be integrated into the department store. Nordstrom Rack will remain open at its current Ward location.

A dozen managers will move over from the Nordstrom Shoes and Nordstrom Rack stores, while another 40 to 45 will be brought over from the mainland.

Nordstrom expects to hire a total of 500 employees here.

Nordstrom did not disclose the cost of construction for its store, which is larger than average. Developer General Growth Properties is spending several million dollars to build a two-level retail concourse connecting the store to the mall.

Five miles of shoes

Given Nordstrom's roots as a shore store, the new Nordstrom in Hawaii is expected to offer thousands of selections in five shoe departments -- three women's sections, one men's and one children's.

The selection of shoes could fill a third of an acre, according to spokeswoman Brooke White, with the new Nordstrom offering 50 percent more floor space dedicated to shoes. If stacked up vertically, the shoeboxes would reach five miles into the sky.

Amenities include the Marketplace Cafe restaurant, which will serve salads, panini and pizzas, two espresso bars (one indoor and one outdoor) serving Nordstrom brand coffee, along with a gelato bar to be supplied locally by Maurice Grasso of La Gelateria Italian Ice Cream.

All Nordstrom shoe salespersons are certified shoe fitters, and all lingerie department salespersons are certified bra fitters. The new Nordstrom in Hawaii will set itself apart by offering the largest sunglasses selection and petites collection of all stores in the nation.

There are also private beauty salons, on-site alterations, a 200-gallon aquarium in the children's section, and Personal Touch -- a complimentary concierge service for busy clients.

Nordstrom readies for its grand debut Nordstrom Ala Moana Size: 210,000 square feet Opening: March 7, 2008 Employees: 500 Store manager: Brian Tatsumura Hawaii cardholders: 22,000 Amenities: Marketplace Cafe, 2 Ebars (espresso bars), gelato bar Signature: Live piano music Nationwide: 156 stores, including Nordstrom full-line stores, Nordstrom Rack, Nordstrom Shoes, Jeffrey boutiques. Source: Nordstrom Inc.

Local designers in spotlight

Several local designers will also be featured at the Nordstrom in Hawaii, alongside brand names that run the gamut -- from Armani to Burberry, Dries van Noten, Anne Klein, Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs and Versace.

Local designer Anne Namba's fashions will be featured in Petite Focus and Studio 121, which offer classic, timeless looks, among other brand names including Eileen Fisher, Anne Klein and Ellen Tracy.

Fighting Eel will be in the Savvy section, which features the hottest names and trends, along with Diane von Furstenberg, Gwen Stefani and True Religion. Men's sportwear will offer Tori Richard.

Local jewelry designers Alliway, Stan Shinkawa and Denny Wong will also be featured in the fine jewelry section. In the cosmetics section, Nordstrom will feature a local line, Malie Kauai, alongside its Anastasia Brow studio.

Local gelato wholesaler to supply Nordstrom

When retailing giant Nordstrom Inc. approached 72-year-old Maurice Grasso to supply its gelato bar, he wasn't intimidated.

At his gelato factory, tucked away on Cedar Street, he says he's confident he'll be able to supply Nordstrom with whatever they need.

Grasso has been supplying restaurants, hotels and boats with gelato in Hawaii for the past 27 years as the owner of La Gelateria Italian Ice Cream.

He's had clients ranging from the Halekulani to the Kahala, Roy's Restaurants, all the Assagios and Kincaid's.

"This is wonderful that they chose me," he said. "I feel great about it."

Grasso doesn't hesitate to boast that he's the only one who makes real Italian-style gelato in town. He challenges anyone to outdo his hazelnut chocolate (gianduia) gelato, which he claims is the best in town.

He expects to offer a dozen local flavors, including mango, lychee, guava, pineapple, macadamia nut and Kona coffee -- in addition to the popular hazelnut chocolate.

-- By Nina Wu