Newbury location almost ready for customers

By Aida Velazquez-Santiago, News Correspondent

After a long wait, the new Forever 21 location at 343 Newbury St. is opening its doors Dec. 18, said Kristen Strickler of Forever 21’s marketing department.

While the Newbury Street Twitter account mentioned Aug. 27 that Forever 21 was hiring, it has not updated followers on the status of the opening since then. The Boston Neighborhoods blog mentioned July 14 that the store was planning to open “later this summer.”

But summer is long gone and the location is still not ready to be opened. Students have expressed confusion on the matter.

“It’s been under construction forever,” said Brittany Guest, a sophomore biology major.

Those who do stay in town for the holidays will be able to enjoy the activities planned for the grand opening of the store.

“We are offering gift cards to the first 400 customers in line, all while supplies last,” Strickler said. “We will have personal stylists on site to assist customers with finding the right looks. We will also be offering 10 percent off purchases of $40 or more valid with a coupon only on the day of the grand opening Dec. 18 at the Newbury Street location.”

These are not the only perks offered for those who go to Forever 21 that day.

“The store will also be raffling off two Forever 21 purses filled with accessories and a gift card,” said Strickler.

With the holiday season just around the corner, students said they would have expected the store to be open already.

“It would have been better if they had opened closer to Thanksgiving,” Guest said. “A lot of people get their holiday shopping done the weekend after Thanksgiving.”

Had the store opened earlier, it could have been a part of this seasons holiday shopping. The store has locations nearby in Watertown, Saugus and Braintree, however a store in Boston could have attracted many more shoppers.

James Dana, professor of economics and strategy at Northeastern said that the sale time Forever 21 is missing out on for this year is a pivotal time for retail locations’ sales.

“The sales between Thanksgiving and December for retail are three or four times the average,” Dana said. “Even Wal-Mart sees an increase in sales during that season.”

Still, in spite of all the speculation, there are many people who were not aware of the new Forever 21 location in Newbury Street.

“I shop [at Forever 21] but I knew nothing about a store opening on Newbury,” said Ingrid Rivas, a freshman nursing major, said.

Because of the store’s late opening, many of the thousands of college students living in Boston won’t be around for the stores debut.

“It’s opening after I leave for break,” Guest said. “That’s inconvenient.”

There are numerous colleges and universities within walking distance of the new Forever 21. For instance, the Art Institute of Boston and Boston Architectural College are both within blocks of the Newbury Street location.

Other larger universities such as Northeastern and Boston University are also in close proximity, but classes will have ended for both schools by the time the store opens.

“I think opening so late will hurt them,” said junior journalism major Zhyldyz Eshimkanove. “All the students are going away for the holidays; they won’t make a good profit.”

Since Newbury Street does not only attract local shoppers, but also many international tourists, Rivas said she thinks the store will get still plenty of business.

“A lot of non-students shop there,” said Rivas. “They will still get a lot of people, even if the students go away for the holidays.”