A new Nordstrom Rack will open to the public at 9 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, in the Montrose shopping area west of Akron, giving Greater Akron shoppers a new 29,000-square-foot store for discounted designer clothing, shoes and cosmetics. The store, at 3977 Medina Road in Montrose Plaza along state Route 18, fills the former Joann fabric store space next to Acme, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.
The opening follows a soft opening on Oct. 27 for influencers, invited guests and families connected to the retailer’s charity partner Operation Warm, the Akron Beacon Journal reported on Oct. 28. The Beacon Journal said reviews from that early look were glowing, and the Seattle-based retailer plans a local coffee cart and giveaways as part of the grand-opening celebration on Thursday.
"I love there’s another place to bounce around to," Cleveland model Sa’Vannah Woodson told the Akron Beacon Journal, saying she was excited to have another spot to hunt for clothes around Northeast Ohio. Columbus visitor Jeannette Burchfield also praised the chain to the Akron Beacon Journal, calling herself a Nordstrom Rack connoisseur and saying, "It is great to have another one of its stores."
The Montrose store is Nordstrom Rack’s fifth location in Northeast Ohio, joining stores in Canton, Lyndhurst, Macedonia and Westlake, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. The Canton store, at The Venue at Belden in Jackson Township, opened Aug. 20, and the Montrose and Canton openings are part of a broader national expansion in which Nordstrom listed 3977 Medina Road among the stores opening Oct. 29, according to USA Today reporting on the company’s new locations.
Nordstrom first announced the Bath Township store in January, saying in its announcement that the 29,000-square-foot shop would be in Montrose Plaza, a shopping center owned and managed by Albrecht, Incorporated and accessible from state Route 18 between Interstate 77 and Cleveland-Massillon Road. "We look forward to being a part of the community and serving our customers with an amazing offering of great brands at great prices," Gemma Lionello, president of Nordstrom Rack, said in the Nordstrom announcement. "We’re excited to grow our footprint in the Akron-Cleveland market and introduce new customers to the Nordstrom experience."
Nordstrom Rack is the off-price division of Nordstrom, offering up to 70 percent off apparel, accessories, beauty products, home decor and shoes from brands sold at Nordstrom stores, according to the company announcement. The company said customers at the new location will also be able to use online order pickup for Nordstrom.com and NordstromRack.com orders and make returns easily, services the retailer highlights at its Rack locations.
For Montrose, the opening restores a major retail tenant to a prominent Route 18 storefront left vacant by Joann, in a plaza that is also home to Acme Fresh Market, Salon Lofts, KeyBank, Eddy’s Bike Shop and Wally Waffle, according to the Nordstrom announcement. Shoppers planning to visit on opening morning should expect a busier-than-usual plaza, with the coffee cart and giveaways drawing early crowds before the 9 a.m. opening reported by the Akron Beacon Journal.