MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Hundreds of shoppers piled into Nordstrom Rack for the grand opening of the Memphis store Thursday morning.
It’s a clearance version of the upscale department store chain, and it now towers over Perkins Extended near Poplar — a drastic change from the old Sears that sat at the site since 1958.
“It’s an improvement whether it looks better or whether it’s good for finance or the community.”
Nordstrom Rack was just the first big business to move in to the new shopping center. Construction and crews still fill much of the parking lot.
The landlord is Seritage Growth Partners. According to its most recent quarterly report from August the shopping center is 64 percent leased.
A burger joint called Hopdoddy has also signed on as a tenant. Ulta Beauty and LA Fitness will soon move in.
The whole center is 135,000 square feet.
“We’re hopeful it brings a lot of business and traffic to the area,” said the general manager of nearby One & Only BBQ.
There are changes to other shopping centers in East Memphis, too. Sprouts market has moved in up the road at Poplar and Perkins while nearby retail centers have gotten facelifts.
But some shoppers say they still want to see nearby Oak Court Mall cleaned up.