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MURRAY -- Friday is a huge day for shoppers as two popular stores open their doors in Utah for the first time.
The arrival of clothing giant H&M and home décor store Crate & Barrel signify some pretty big changes to Utah's shopping scene. Prior to Friday's opening, shoppers could only access the stores while on vacation in places like Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Paris, France.
Now, shoppers can experience the popular stores in the Salt Lake Valley.
"I think it's awesome, amazing," said shopper Mary Grace McMurray. "I can't wait!"
"I went to the one in Las Vegas and that one was amazing," added Breonna Reese.
As soon as the signs went up, Fashion Place mall saw an influx of activity, with several people calling the mall for answers about the new stores.
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"(There were) lots of phone calls to the mall, lots of excitement in the community, lots of buzz from our shoppers," said Fashion Place Mall General Manager Celeste Dorris.
And as soon as word got out two popular stores were coming to Utah, the excitement started to spread.
"When I first heard H&M was coming, I swear I could almost hear joyous eruption throughout the state," said fashion consultant Holly Stone. "You can feel the fever, you can feel people are getting excited."
H&M and design power house Crate & Barrel to the Fashion Place Mall represent three larger changes to the state's shopping scene, which has some people believing the state is becoming more hip.
"Utah used to be stereotypically a little bit behind the fashion curve, but not so much anymore," Stone said. "You're seeing big stores come in and a lot of trends hit in Utah.
Despite the current economic crisis, Stone said she's seeing Utah shopping go more high end. Like at the new City Creek development in downtown Salt Lake City, recently announced businesses like Coach, Tiffany's and Brook Brothers are set to open in the spring of 2012.
When I first heard H&M was coming, I swear I could almost hear joyous eruption throughout the state. You can feel the fever, you can feel people are getting excited.
–Holly Stone
"When we have those big name brands that come into our state, you think, ‘Will they appeal to the current Utah market?' but you have to realize Utah is a great tourist state as well," Stone said. "We have a lot of people that come and visit our state. So not only will they appeal to the current Utahn who lives here, but they will also appeal to the tourists who come."
With new high-end stores making their way to Utah, shopping options continue to expand for state residents.
"It is so refreshing to see those boutiques and niche stores come into the market because it gives us a choice at that point," Stone said.
"People have shopped these stores for a lot of years while out of town when they go on vacation to other markets," Dorris said. "It's really exciting they are going to be here in Utah, here in Salt Lake City now."
Email: bwalker@ksl.com
