UPDATE Tuesday: Neiman Marcus Tuesday posted an article on its website with lots of
cool images of the art that is coming to the Walnut Creek store. (Above is a painting Lakewater 10 by Robin Kandel)
Neiman Marcus is set to host a grand opening gala Thursday night and then open its store to shoppers Friday. Not only will the department store chain offer a high-end retail experience, it will also introduce customers to works by notable Bay Area artists.
Walnut Creek Patch editor Lance Howland reports that Neiman Marcus has a corporate art curator who has spent the better part of the past year visiting Bay Area galleries and selecting works to grace the chain's 42nd store. Neiman Marcus officials say the store has 163 paintings, prints, sculptures and other works. Most of them are based in the Bay Area.
One of the artists is Ned Kahn who likes to create large-scale sculptural works "that increase people's awareness of natural phenomena." On the front wall of the building, he has erected Wind Fins (above from a this YouTube video) ,vertical fins that sway in the wind.
For a list of the artists and the kinds of works they create, check out Lance's story.
Meanwhile, the Contra Costa Times reported last week that the opening of Neiman Marcus is just one sign that downtown Walnut Creek's retail scene is bouncing back. Walnut Creek will also see a new Anthropologie store and a new home products store, called Tuesday Morning, opening in the space at California Boulevard and Bothelo that has seen a bit of turnover in recent years. As the Beyond the Creek blogger says, Lane Home Furnishing tried to make a go of it before. (Personally, I wish they would bring back something like the bowling alley they once had in that space so long ago.)
"The burst of commercial activity has banished a two-year slump for Walnut Creek's downtown, which ranks alongside San Francisco's Union Square, Palo Alto's Stanford Shopping Center and San Jose's Santana Row as one of the nation's premier shopping districts," writes Contra Costa Times writer George Avalos.
6 comments:
I look forward to seeing all the changes in the city when I return in july.
No one seems to remember that Tuesday morning isn't new to Walnut Creek. They are moving from their location over by Castle Hot Dog, mall area. It has been tucked away there for quite sometime now. It is such an odd space, and I only visited once. Nice to see that it now has a better location
I was very saddened today to see all the parking in Broadway Plaza reserved for the "big Snob event tonight"
Neiman Marcus Cardholders were not invited, only advertisers and investors.
Nordstrom and Macys had parking spaces taken away and lost business.
The Band that played was really low class with a poor singer.
What has happened to the extra 200 parking spaces Neimans promised if they were to open??
Looks like they own the City now and everyone else has to suffer.
It is a beautiful building, but the beginning vibes are not good. :(....Thoughts?
Anyone that wanted to attend was invited, and the entire price of their ticket went to local charities. Spaces have been added to both the Nordstrom/Macy's parking garage as well as the Crate and Barrel garage, but I don't think it's near 200. I had the pleasure of unexpectedly meeting a few of the employees and management (not at the gala haha, can't quite swing that-even for charity) and they were so gracious and very excited to "meet Walnut Creek". They could not have been more eager, I think this store will be a great addition to our pretty city.
The extra parking spaces were all valet. Sorry that does not cut it for residents of Walnut Creek that are not diasbled and can park their own cars.
Yes anyone could get in after paying a huge fortune. What about invitations?
Watched outside today and the dress code is pretty funny. Wait til the homeless use the bathroom as their motel.
I was told that more parking spaces were created for NM by "restriping" existing lots. Mikes Auto Body must be humming with business.
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