SOUTHBURY — Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW) has opened its 12th store in Connecticut, with its latest opening at the Southbury Plaza last week.
The opening weekend included a soft opening and a ribbon-cut for the shoe store, where customers received tote bag giveaways, raffle prizes and other goodies to celebrate the opening.
The Ohio-based retail chain sits in the lower part of the plaza, at 100 Main Street North, formerly occupied by the lower level of K-Mart.
Brittany Rousseau, a Market Leader for DSW in the Northeast Region, says that bringing the store to its new location has been an undertaking of nearly seven years.
“We’re excited to be here and to have a footprint in the community,” said Rousseau.
Including management, the store currently employs about 20 people, she said.
“When you think about who we’re trying to capture as an organization, this is it,” said Rousseau. “It’s the millennial moms, it’s up-and-growing communities.”
With a wide selection of women’s, men’s and kids shoes, there is intention behind some of the brand names customers will see in the store.
“We’ve really been working on putting the ‘D’ back in Designer Warehouse, so from a product perspective, we’re seeing elevated products, and that’s really resonating with this community,” added Rousseau.
Local shoppers, like Jasmine Colon of Southbury, say that a retail shoe store was needed in town.
“I can’t wait to bring my sister here,” said Colon, who came for both the soft opening and the ribbon cutting.
In addition to shoes, DSW also sells accessories and other apparel, like hats and socks. Colon’s second visit in three days, she said, was also due to the store having the popular “NeeDoh” toy in stock for her daughter.
Members of the local business community were also on hand to celebrate the store’s opening, including Mary Korsu, a member of the town’s Economic Development Commission.
Before the location housed the two-level K-Mart, it formerly served as the site of a D.M. Read Department store, where Korsu worked in the Credit Department during the late 1970s.
“It’s fulfilling the needs of this community,” said Korsu. “This is well-needed.”
Today, DSW operates over 500 stores in 44 states.
By Evan Triantafilidis
The Southbury Record 