Nordstrom Rack opens west Columbia store
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The much-anticipated Nordstrom Rack store opened its doors in West Columbia on Thursday.
This is the first Nordstrom Rack in Mid-Missouri, with the closest locations in the Kansas City and St. Louis areas. The store is an “off-price” department store chain, which sells high-quality brands at discounts.
The 25,000-square-foot store is in the former Macy’s building in the Shoppes on Stadium at 201 N. Stadium Blvd.
This building has been vacant since 2016, when Macy’s closed.
The official grand opening event started at 8 a.m., although the first person in line told ABC 17 News that she arrived at 4:30 a.m. to guarantee her spot. Other shoppers in line said they arrived at 6:30 a.m.
Shoppers said they were most excited about the convenience of the store being in Columbia. One shopper said she used to drive four hours for a Nordstrom Rack, and now she only has to drive two.
Leanne Sullen, the district manager for Nordstrom Rack, said that this has been in the works for over a year. She added that Nordstrom is excited to have a presence in Mid-Missouri and be closer to its customers in the area.
The sales tax rate in this area of Columbia is 8.975% and includes state, county, city, and transportation development district taxes.
For a total of $214.88, there is $ 19.29 in tax, making the total $234.17.
With a one percent sales tax towards public safety being passed in Aug. and the possibility of a 3/8-cent sales tax to build a new jail on the ballot next election, ABC 17 News asked shoppers if this would change their shopping habits.
Morgan Montgomery, a Columbia resident, said that although she thinks her habits should change, they probably will not. She said that she believes the taxes are for a reason.
“I think that they are going for things that our state needs. And if they’re not getting it through sales tax, they’d find a different way to get it. So to me, the money’s going to come from somewhere no matter what,” Montgomery said.
Montgomery added that she liked the location and its proximity to other stores
“I do think parking is probably going to become a nightmare at some point. But right now you can kind of hit up everything in one stop,” Montgomery said.
Another Columbia resident said that she is not specifically worried about the increase in sales tax impacting her shopping.
“I’m not specifically worried. I trust God to provide for me. So but it would be nice if the taxes were lower,” Tina Vaughn said.
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