Nordstrom is taking their first step on the island of Manhattan by opening their discount store Nordstrom Rack this Tuesday, on Union Square South.
Today we got to poke through the new store located in the basement of the former Virgin Records. Most of what we found is very similar to the merchandise that would be expected in your local Nordstrom department store.
The store officially discounts items 30% to 70% off retail. We were surprised to learn that only 25% of the merchandise comes from Nordstrom department stores. The majority of the inventory comes directly from the labels.
Most of the store’s merchandise is not super-designer but the discounts were quite attractive. We found lots of Dolce & Gabbana and D&G from spring 2009. A gold Dolce top with gems along the neckline was $300 from $1450. (That would be a whooping 80% off according to our calculations) A gold D&G dress was $150 from $635 and a D&G magenta satin blazer was $160 from $700.
There is also a designer shoe section, which wasn’t incredibly exciting. We spotted shoes from Bruno Magli ($300 from $420), Ferregamo ($179 from $520), Tory Burch ($159 from $425) and Bally ($80 from $395).
The motto of this Manhattan Nordstrom Rack is quick and easy. The layout is extremely intuitive and there’s even a TV navigated check out line– à la Whole Foods.
