Old Navy a success even before it opens

Good news, my fellow Spokane Valley residents: Our ship has finally come in.

That's right, Old Navy has decided to anchor its newest store right here in the Valley.

A 20,000-square-foot Old Navy store will be added to a new strip center located just west of the Spokane Valley Mall.

This news has already generated smiles and anticipation among the ranks of the Valley's youthful shoppers. After all, this store is not going to NorthTown, it's coming to the Valley!

To my 13-year-old daughter and her friends, this is very good news indeed. To them, the arrival of Old Navy means the arrival of the Valley as a "cool" place to shop.

An Old Navy store of our very own has long been a dream of local shoppers who appreciate the store's moderate prices and their variety of youthful fashions and sizes.

Old Navy has been the rainbow at the end of many a road trip to Seattle or the Tri-Cities for my family and many, many others.

I have been to Old Navy stores in four states. To kids, if you're wearing Old Navy, you have just returned from a cool trip.

After dropping our older daughter off at the University of Nevada last fall, we stopped in St. George, Utah, to visit an Old Navy store. I thought it quite surprising that tiny St. George had an Old Navy store, and that the Spokane area did not.

I heard rumors for months that the newly refurbished Argonne Village would land an Old Navy store.

I watched with wonder as a new building went up in the northwest corner of that shopping center. It sure looked like it was shaping up to be an Old Navy store - right down to the porthole-shaped window in the front. Surely this edifice was an indication that Old Navy was coming to town.

Then I heard that it was not to be - that Old Navy would open a store in Coeur d'Alene, but not in Spokane.

How many devoted parents have endured a five-hour drive to Seattle, so the kids could saunter through the spacious aisles of one of the West Side's Old Navy stores?

And how many willing parents have driven two hours down to the Tri Cities, to shop at the Old Navy store there?

Now, while the Valley's Old Navy goes up before our eyes, Mom and Dad can start figuring how much gas they will save.

Behind the success of this retail chain lies an upscale image, coupled with moderate prices and wide selection, along with some very clever marketing techniques.

I think in the case of Spokane, the marketing theme may have been: "Keep them wanting us and wanting us ... then we'll move in!"

Old Navy sells many types and styles of casual clothing, and has everything in every size from double-zero to size 16. Nobody gets left out. Considering that, for the most part, their styles are aimed at teenagers, this size issue is very important. Many "junior" shops cannot boast such a variety of sizes.

Kids today are savvy, budget-conscious shoppers. They know what they want; and they know how much they can afford to spend.

Ever been dragged through an Old Navy store at the hand of your teenage daughter? Plan to bring a sack lunch. You'll be there for a while.

Admittedly the idea of having our own Old Navy store makes me wonder if the proximity will now make the store's clothing somehow less appealing, simply because it will now be so accessible.

It is true that what is difficult to attain is sometimes more attractive.

But then I think about all those racks of colorful shirts, the latest in pants, dresses and vests. And I remember how they stay new- looking even after a hundred washings. I remind myself of the two- for-one sales I've taken advantage of in cities like Las Vegas and Seattle.

I think about the spacious store aisles and the cards they sometimes hand out at the entrance, making a shopper the instant winner of Old Navy merchandise.

The grand opening of the Old Navy in the Spokane Valley will be quite an event, I am willing to bet. I believe that once this giant cruise ship pulls into our port and drops anchor, it will be here to stay.

Copyright 2001 Cowles Publishing Company
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