Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - The grand opening shopping enthusiasts have been looking forward to for months occurred on Thursday when Urban Outfitters opened in Armory Square.
The new store is the first national clothing and accessory retailer to come to Downtown Syracuse in many years.
As early as Wednesday, Central New Yorkers tried to get an early look at the merchandise.
The doors to the 5,400 square-foot retail space were open on Wednesday, but not for business. Employees were just putting the finishing touches on the displays and also taking part in training and orientation. The store is expected to be especially busy with all the college students who live in the area and who will be returning in the next week or so for the fall semester.
Urban Outfitters carries men's and women's clothing, shoes, and accessories; and also a large selection of home goods. The company hopes to be popular with Central New York's student population.
Businesses already located in Armory Square believe Urban Outfitters will drive traffic toward them as well.
"I think when people get out of their cars, people who've never been to armory square, when they see it, they're going to enjoy the idea of how beautiful it is and the shopping experience," said Joe Shapiro, who owns four businesses in Armory Square.
Shapiro opened "Bounce" in anticipation of the national retailer's arrival. He just put in 10 new dressing rooms to accommodate more customers and will expand hours to match Urban Outfitters. Seven Rays Bookstore is also changing its hours.
"There are so many cool shops in this area - that this is gonna be the time to explore and treasure hunt," said Seven Rays owner Amber Younglove.
First national retailer in Armory Square to open August 19
July 27
Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - The new Urban Outfitters store in Armory Square will be the first national clothing and accessory retailer to come to downtown Syracuse. The store is scheduled to open on August 19.
The 5,400 square feet of space that will house the store are located at 221 Walton St. Crews are working to renovate the historic McArthur, Cooney and Wirth building to make room for the store. They've put colored glass in the windows on all three stories and the plan is to use all three stories for store space. There will be women's and men's clothing departments, accessories, home furnishings, and fitting rooms.
From Urban Outfitters' point of view, Syracuse is a strong potential market because it includes the retailers' target demographic - young adults between 18 and 20, the geography and the colleges. The company can afford to be selective, and found the Armory Square location to be a perfect for their needs. "Being in a building with history is a nice fit for us," said store representative Todd Swanson.
A significant amount of original architectural details will be preserved in the renovation, like exposed brick walls. The wood floors in the store come from another Urban Outfitters location, and this is their second recycling. The company has a history of re-using items. "They really try to see how much we can preserve how it looks, what we need the space to be," said Swanson.
Some Urban Outfitters stores have just a small amount of home goods. This one will have a lot because they're hoping to decorate college dorms.
Joel Shapiro, the owner of Four Shops, opened "Bounce" last year. His new store targets the same clientele, but he doesn't see Urban Outfitters as competition. Instead he sees it as a tool for getting more customers. "We know when a company like Urban comes down to downtown, they're going to bring thousands and thousands of people," he said.
Shapiro also hopes that Urban Outfitters finds enough success in downtown Syracuse to spread the word to other national retailers. "I think it's going to be a little bit of time before that happens, but I think when they see the success of Urban, it'll change," he said.
Construction on the new store will be completed on August 10th and then employees will set up the merchandise by the August 19th opening date.
