Bright and early next Thursday, eager shoppers will line up to
get first dibs on something they haven’t seen in the area for
years: a full-size department store.
Bright and early next Thursday, eager shoppers will line up to get first dibs on something they haven’t seen in the area for years: a full-size department store.
Kohl’s will open at 8am Oct. 7 in Gilroy Crossing, 6765 Camino Arroyo Drive. A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at 7:45am. The first 800 customers ages 16 and older will receive a free, limited edition totebag.
The new Kohl’s is part of an 11-store rollout in the Bay Area, including two in San Jose. There will now be 62 Kohl’s in California. The store carries national brand name clothing for men, women and children, as well as cosmetics, jewelry, small electronic appliances and houseware.
Kohl’s is Gilroy’s first full-size department store since a smaller J.C. Penney in downtown closed several years ago.
“It’s about time,” said Megan Davey, a part-time employee working at Kohl’s beauty boutique. “Kohl’s is in between a Mervyn’s and a Macy’s. We sell the majority of products that the upscale department stores carry, but we’re not as expensive. It’s a good balance.”
The nearly 200 full- and part-time employees at the store were recruited via a job hotline that kicked off a few months ago. About 85 percent of the employees are from the Gilroy/Hollister area and the rest come from surrounding regions, said store manager Sandy Thompkins.
“We really tried to concentrate our advertising for hiring in this area, and that was successful,” she said. “We were able to pull well locally.”
The new Kohl’s stores will provide about 1,650 jobs throughout the Bay Area. Wages range between $7.50 and $12 per hour, and full-time employees are eligible for full medical benefits, a 401(k) plan, stock ownership options and discounted merchandise.
The Target store in Gilroy Crossing, which also carries a wide variety of low-cost merchandise, is just a short distance from Kohl’s. But that doesn’t seem to evoke any fierce rivalry between Kohl’s and Target employees.
“We’re not like Target, or any other store, really. We carry a lot of what they don’t, and they carry some of what we don’t,” Thompkins said. “I think it’s a good complement. Actually, I think the stores in this whole shopping complex complement each other. People can get pretty much everything they need.”
Target manager Janet Patterson agreed, saying she’s happy that residents of Gilroy – and Hollister, Morgan Hill and Salinas – will have another store that offers high-quality, low-priced merchandise.
Kohl’s district manager Jason Bittner predicted Kohl’s new south San Jose location, at Blossom Hill Road and Santa Teresa Boulevard, also will serve area residents who work in San Jose. That store is just a few miles from state Highway 85.
Bittner said he thinks area shoppers are excited about finally having a new full-size department store.
“If the people peeking in through the windows of the new store trying to get an early look are any indication, I think they’re very excited that we’re here in Gilroy,” he said. “And we’re very excited to be in this market.”
The 88,000-square-foot store adds to the Gilroy Crossing strip that includes Pier 1 Imports, Michael’s and a handful of other well-known retailers.
“This will be a very, very fine addition to our lineup of commercial businesses here in Gilroy,” said Bill Lindsteadt, executive director of the Gilroy Economic Development Corp. “Having them here is going to be a real plus for the community.”
Other businesses planned for the area near highways 101 and 152, Lindsteadt said, include Chuck E. Cheese, Krispy Kreme Bakery, Bank of America, Super Wal-Mart, PetsMart, Pho Hóa An Z Vietnamese restaurant, Panda Express, Famous Dave’s Steakhouse, Mimi’s Cafe and Sonic Burger.
Kohl’s has partnered with the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford and Children’s Hospital in Oakland for its Kohl’s Cares for Kids children’s hospital fund-raising program. Through the program, Kohl’s sells specially selected items every season for $5. The net profit from the sale of the items in the Bay Area stores will be donated to the two children’s hospitals.
Based in Wisconsin, Kohl’s also carries exclusive lines including the Daisy Fuentes apparel line and the Laura Ashley Lifestyles home line.
