Shoppers and staff in Wollongong’s newest specialty retail stores were all buzzing on Thursday even before the sun rose.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Dozens lined up outside Mecca Maxima from 6am and more than 500 people were gathered outside David Jones for the official ribbon cutting just before 9am.
That was followed by a tidal surge of people flooding into what David Jones chief executive David Thomas described as both Wollongong’s oldest and newest department store, as well as the new David Jones Food Hall on the lower level.
That provided a chance to talk to staff and shoppers as they checked out the new shops. And the feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
When Danielle Kimmas was greeted by store manager Gabby Gigliotti at T2 she said the shop was her priority. But everything in the new look Wollongong Central impressed her.
“I have shopped at T2 before in Sydney and it is great to have one here,” she said.
Ms Gigliotti said the crowd was big and the centre was noisy but everyone was so happy, positive and patient.
“Everyone has been waiting for this for a long time,” she said.
“There are eight of us working here.”
In the David Jones Food Hall Helen McCann was amazed at the range of food on offer and was happy with everything and her gift after being one of the first 100 people into the new world class David Jones.
“This is absolutely fantastic. It is amazing. It is just what we needed here in Wollongong. I work at Wanted Shoes..and this is very exciting. It is absolutely delightful in here,” she said.
Melissa Gorgievski was excited by the response on the first day of her first business. As the owner of the local independent hair salon and retailer Charli & Kate she said she was already looking to employ more staff as a result of the interest shown on Thursday.
“We have done a lot of work to get here. I just want customers to come in now and enjoy it. Come see what we have to offer because we are so excited to meet everyone and be located alongside such amazing brands as Mecca Maxima, T2 and David Jones. The response has been fantastic. We have had so many customers come in. It has just been such a really warm and lovely response from the community. At the moment we have 10 team members and we are still looking for more stylists”.
Apart from those who worked around the clock putting the finishing touches in place the first to see the new look shopping centre were Crystal McGuire and Cody Smith, of Nowra, who arrived at 2am.
Ms McGuire wanted to be the first in line for the beauty products at Mecca Maxima. “They have a lot of good brands and I just love make-up,” she said.
Related stories: