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MINDING YOUR
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| NORFOLK'S SHINY NEW SHOES By Karl Rhodes |
The media tour of
the new Nordstrom store in downtown Norfolk
begins in the shoe department. Playing to an audience that's 90 percent female, fresh-faced General Manager Patrick McKeon gets straight to the point: The store will stock a phenomenal 75,000 pairs of shoes when it opens on March 12. |
 artwork by Michael Goodman |
McKeon's
passion for footwear shines through as he shows
off the women's shoe stock room, where boxes of
shoes soon will be stacked nearly all the way to
the 18-foot ceiling. About half of the store's
first floor will be devoted to shoes, he boasts,
as he rocks up onto his toes and grins like a
gator. The ladies in the entourage nod, smile and voice their approval. "This is gonna' be great," says a tall, dark woman to no one in particular. "I'm gonna' start saving my money right now." |
| Sensing a gender gap in the
group, Nordstrom public relations pro Amy Jones
nudges a male reporter and notes that the store
will carry men's shoes up to size 20. "A lot
of basketball players shop at Nordstrom,"
she says, glancing at his empty notebook. Seattle-based Nordstrom started out as a shoe store in 1901, and by the time the Great Depression gripped the nation in the 1930s, it was the largest independent chain of shoe stores in the country. Since then Nordstrom has branched out into apparel and fashion accessories, and its stores have earned a reputation for carrying fine merchandise and providing consummate customer service. Nordstrom's newest store -- the top draw for the $300 million MacArthur Center shopping mall in downtown Norfolk -- will be the most upscale store within 150 miles. And McKeon expects to attract shoppers from as far away as central Virginia and eastern Carolina. The store's economic impact on Norfolk will be second only to its psychological effect on the surrounding region. Getting the nod from Nordstrom, it seems, validates Hampton Roads' emergence as a major metropolitan area. Call it shoe power. Footwear can do wonders for self-esteem, whether it's Air Jordans on the playground or glass slippers at the royal ball. And with 75,000 pairs to choose from in downtown Norfolk, Nordstrom may become the new heart and sole of Hampton Roads' central city.
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