Kohl's comes to town
Jonesboro Sun
ANTHONY CHILDRESS
10/6/2006
JONESBORO - Thra Byerly of Bono was one of the first shoppers inside the new Kohl's store and wasted little time locating bargains.
"I brought my little girl, and it's great being in the store," Byerly said of her visit with toddler daughter Bella.
The 62,000-square-foot store, 2117 Fair Park Blvd., celebrated its grand opening Thursday morning with a host of dignitaries and eager shoppers on hand to mark the occasion.
"A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into this store, literally. We got in here five weeks ago with nothing in the building. You look around now and see how great the store looks. Our employees deserve the credit for that," Manager Trent Rachel said.
Construction on the building started in May. It is one of the chain's "innovation stores," according to Rachel.
The store features one entrance (compared with dual entrances in other locations), glass frontage, Bose radio system inside the store, touchscreen registers and central dressing areas, along with way-finding areas that direct customers to various departments.
Jonesboro's store opening included the creation of 153 new jobs to the area, Rachel noted during the ribbon-cutting ceremony prior to opening the doors.
The new location means that Kohl's now has seven stores in Arkansas, including Bryant, Sherwood, Conway and stores in the state's northwest corner.
"We plan to open over 500 new stores nationwide in the next five years, and that will push us beyond 1,200 stores altogether," Rachel said.
Associates such as Cassandra Williams spent much of their morning answering questions from customers about the many sales being promoted by the store during its grand opening period, which runs through Saturday.
All customers applying for a Kohl's charge card receive 15 percent off their purchases through Saturday. And the store features various sales throughout Its stock, ranging from clothing and accessories to jewelry and housewares among other items.
"I was excited when 1 heard about Kohl's coming here because 1 shopped at it when 1lived in Memphis. 1 am here visiting friends and wanted to come in because I'm leaving town Friday and didn't think I'd have a chance to shop before then," said Katie Fallen of Fairfax, Va.
Rachel pointed out that Kohl's has partnered with Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock to raise money for its work through the Kohl's Cares for Kids program. Customers contribute to the causeby making purchases of things such as Dr. Seuss books, Ray Charles compact discs and other items, with all sales going directly to the hospital.
"We are committed to what Children's does for the kids, and this program is one way for us to contribute to that wonderful work," Rachel said.
Byerly was anxious to make her initial trip to the store a fruitful one and even more excited about coming back.
Rachel said he is counting on that customer loyalty to bring people back time and again.
"We stand ready to work hard and make this store a great success. We are off to a good start."
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