Kohl’s opens three new stores in Las Vegas

Las Vegan Fannie Pallingayan used to wake at 3 a.m. for Black Friday sales at the Kohl's department store on Blue Diamond Road.

Pallingayan, who lost her construction-purchasing job six months ago, showed up first thing Wednesday at the new Kohl's store at 1300 S. Nellis Blvd. for yet another main event. But this time, she reported in as an employee for the store's grand opening.

"It's exciting and refreshing to have work," Pallingayan said. "I think it's very awe-inspiring. People still have hope, and it seems like the economy is not that bad if you see our turnout today."

Kohl's held grand openings at the Nellis store and two other area locations Wednesday. The stores were part of a nationwide 37-store rollout that created 450 local jobs and 5,200 jobs companywide. In addition to the Nellis store -- the company's first location in northeast Las Vegas -- Kohl's opened new outposts at 1316 W. Sunset Road and 4265 S. Grand Canyon Drive. All three buildings used to house Mervyns stores, which closed when Mervyns went bankrupt in 2008. With the additions, Kohl's has eight local stores.

About 100 shoppers lined up outside the Nellis Kohl's before its 7 a.m. opening, District Manager Rebecca Montijo said. A constant stream of customers poured through the doors at mid-afternoon, snapping up sale items in departments including clothing, linens and housewares.

Many shoppers shared the same sentiment: It's about time their neighborhood had a nice department store.

Las Vegan Joy Connette lives at Desert Inn Road and Nellis, and she said she won't miss the drive down to Kohl's on Valle Verde in Henderson.

"With the price of gas, it means a lot to have this store close by," said Connette, who bought -- SPOILER ALERT -- clothes for her great-granddaughter's looming first birthday.

Sue Gubler, who lives at Sunrise Mountain, was set to spend at least $100 on sweaters and linens. Like Connette, Gubler shopped regularly at the Valle Verde Kohl's, and she said she's happy to have the chain closer to home.

"It's a morale booster. It's been so dead," Gubler said. "Mervyns was the only department store we had. It closed and everybody said, 'Where are we going to go now?'"

Both shoppers said they'll visit Kohl's more often with the new store nearby. Connette hadn't been to Kohl's in nearly two months; she's already been to the Nellis store twice this week -- once on Tuesday, during a soft opening, and once for Wednesday's official debut. And Gubler said she'll frequent Kohl's more often than the twice a month she's used to.

The openings won't noticeably affect the city's sliding economic indicators. The 450 jobs formed Wednesday barely register in a market with more than 135,000 unemployed, and the 241,408 square feet of retail space the new stores consume can't match the 5 million square feet of empty shop space here.

What the additions accomplish, though, is a little ego boost for a recession-battered town, as well as some much-needed foot traffic for three local shopping centers where smaller tenants need big-name anchors to lure new customers, said Brian Gordon, a principal in local research firm Applied Analysis.

"Certainly, this doesn't cure the challenges we face, but it's a welcome sign to see companies expanding during this current economic climate," Gordon said. "From a perception standpoint, filling three major big boxes that have been sitting vacant is a step in the right direction."

Gordon added that it's often good strategy for companies to expand in downturns, when rents drop.

"They're hitting all ends of the market and pushing out to suburban areas where they haven't had stores. It increases the brand and access to the goods they sell."

Pallingayan certainly enjoys improved access to Kohl's, though she said some of the "thrill" of bargain-hunting has vanished now that she's an employee.

But she'll never have to fret over missing those deals: Her supervisors have assured her they'll configure her schedule to give her time to shop on Black Fridays.

Contact reporter Jennifer Robison at jrobison@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4512.