Bloomingdale's Soaks Up the Sun in Santa Monica

NEW YORK, Aug. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Bloomingdale's announces its August 6, 2010, opening in Santa Monica, CA. Fashioned after New York City's Soho location, Bloomingdale's Santa Monica will anchor the Santa Monica Place shopping center located between the iconic Third Street Promenade and Santa Monica pier. This contemporary men's and women's specialty store occupies over 80,000 square feet of selling space, and was designed to capture the diversity and culture of Santa Monica while adding a distinctive Bloomingdale's presence.

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"The opportunity to extend our brand in Southern California is exciting," said Michael Gould, chairman and CEO of Bloomingdale's.  "We have designed a store that will provide a sophisticated shopping experience with the sensibility of a beach community and hope it will become Santa Monica's newest neighborhood store."

The renovation and restoration of the building was done in an effort to maintain the integrity of the space and respect for the environment.  "We created a space which reflects the local beach community, but with a unique blend of luxe materials in new ways," said Jack Hruska, executive vice president of creative services at Bloomingdale's.

Highlights of the renovation can be seen even before stepping a foot inside. The outside of the building features a dramatic glass box on the corner of the building, which acts as the entrance to the shopping part of the city of Santa Monica. Newly installed windows at both the pedestrian and first floor level allows for more light to shine inside. Shimmering aluminum discs suspended on three-inch pins offer reflective animation under the Southern California sun. A signature Bloomingdale's black panel puts the finishing touch on the exterior.

Inside, you'll find a unique blend of the original raw industrial elements paired with an influence of the local beach community -- all with a luxe, high-end spin that Bloomingdale's is known for.

FLOOR BY FLOOR:

Upon entering, customers will be greeted with a new take on the trademark Bloomingdale's signature black and white checkerboard flooring. The traditional black and white marble was swapped out for a staining technique directly on the concrete floor to coordinate with the overall industrial chic feeling.

The checkered pattern leads customers through an innovative cosmetic area complete with brands like Space NK, Trish McEvoy, and La Prairie, amongst others. Highlights including interactive treatment bars such as the Benefit Brow Bar and a French-inspired perfumery including Chanel, Creed, and Jo Malone will complete the experience.

The first floor will also house an elaborate women's shoes area which is another example of the unique industrial meets posh pairing as cement floor aisles run alongside rich patterned rugs featuring glowing luminous white boxes displaying the shoes. In this area you'll find such designers as Stuart Weitzman, Loeffler Randall, Belle by Sigerson Morrison, Tory Burch, and many more. A mural of the Santa Monica Pier constructed of glittering sequins reflects Bloomingdale's commitment to intertwine the nearby beach community into the overall design of the store.

Also on this floor is the expansive women's handbag space including such designers as See by Chloe, Rebecca Minkoff, Longchamp, and Burberry. This area features a dramatic lattice ceiling detail that springs off the back wall of the department and climbs across the ceiling. Fine jewelry from David Yurman and John Hardy, watches from Michele and Michael Kors, and other women's fashion accessories including brands such as Alexis Bittar and Me & Ro, can also be found near this area.

Inspired by the California sun, special attention was given to sunglasses. A massive selection of shades from Dior, Prada, Oliver Peoples, Ray-Ban and more will be presented inside an innovative display that features a variety of holes cut into a luminous wall fixture.

Men will be able to complete their look from head to toe all on the first floor. A "lab" area will not only feature trend-setting designers, but also a unique denim area with a canvas backdrop that appears artistically tattered and worn. Glossed white walls paired with black and chrome details give an overall masculine and modern feel. A sampling of vendors in this men's area includes James Perse, Richard Chai, and Loomstate.

A variety of other men's designers such as John Varvatos and Theory will all be housed in dedicated pavilions scattered throughout the first floor.

The men's shoes including designers such as Billy Reid, To Boot New York, Converse, and Hugo Boss will be inside a unique oak pavilion featuring a cement wall with fractured glass displays -- a distinct showing of luxury mixed with cement and weathered materials.  

FLOOR TWO

Here a women's shopping oasis exists where she can find everything needed to create a fashion forward wardrobe. Individualized pavilions create shops that will offer a great mix of merchandise in a uniquely designed space featuring designers such as Aqua, Diane von Furstenberg, Elizabeth & James, Marc by Marc Jacobs, and Vince.  As a nod to the nearby beach, there is also an entire area dedicated to surf wear with lines such as Quiksilver and Volcom. An expansive denim area featuring a chalkboard detail touting the season's must haves will be home to such designers as ACNE and J Brand.

The design features on the second floor include laser cut wood ceilings, along with an exceptional take on fitting rooms -- including large-scale boxes, which illuminate when occupied and wooden structures with a white serpentine plastic double-layered material to create a look that's reminiscent of a beach shack.

On this floor you will also find the debut of the Bloomingdale's "b-Style Bar" -- a new concept in personal shopping. Now customers will have the opportunity to work with their own stylist who will escort he or she throughout the store to assemble an entire look from head to toe. From clothing to accessories, these stylists will be on the forefront of fashion and able to complete the ideal ensemble for any occasion. This high-tech b-Style Bar will feature such innovations as wi-fi capabilities, PCs for instant connection to the Bloomingdales.com website, and a flat screen TV airing fashion shows and trend reports.

And, as a special treat for shoppers, the second floor will be home to the popular Forty Carrots cafe, serving up Bloomingdale's famous frozen yogurt in a casual, upbeat environment.

Bloomingdale's store hours will be Monday-Saturday 10am to 9pm, and Sunday 11am to 7pm.  The store's main number is 310-985-6400.

For additional information including upcoming special events and appearances, please visit www.bloomingdales.com/santamonica.

Bloomingdale's is America's only nationwide, full-line, upscale department store and a division of Macy's, Inc. It was founded in 1872 and currently operates 41 stores in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, Minnesota, Georgia, Florida, Nevada, and California.  In addition, in 2010 Bloomingdale's opened its first international location in Dubai and will open four US outlet stores. Be sure to follow Bloomingdale's on Facebook (www.facebook.com/bloomingdales) or Twitter (www.twitter.com/bloomingdales), and for more information, or to shop any time, visit www.bloomingdales.com.

SOURCE Bloomingdale's