Mall ready for Nordstrom

The Conejo Valley's first highend department store— Nordstrom—opens next week at The Oaks mall, and more than just fashionable handbags and designer clothing will be exchanging hands.

Two local fundraising groups—the Alliance for the Arts, the nonprofit fundraising arm of the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, and the Centennial Guild of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, a philanthropic group that raises money to help seriously ill or injured children—will share an estimated $150,000 that is hoped to be raised at the retailer's grand opening fundraiser and gala.

The event will begin at 6 p.m. Wed., Sept. 3 at the Thousand Oaks shopping center, where those attending will be able to do some preview shopping at the new twolevel, 138,000-square-foot store while being served hors d'oeuvres, cocktails and buffets. Live entertainment will be provided by the band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. The celebrity chair will be Melora Hardin from NBC's "The Office."

"This money comes at a great time for us as people are pulling back a little bit because of the economy," said Patricia Jones, president and CEO of the Alliance for the Arts. "With this $75,000 we will be able to go full throttle."

"The opening of Nordstrom in Thousand Oaks is a long-awaited event, and now we get to celebrate it with a gala that will help local charities," Jones said.

With the money they get from the gala, the Alliance will continue to support the performing arts center, help with the cost of programs, and provide tickets for underprivileged children, Jones said.

The donation is also welcomed by the Centennial Guild. Money raised by the group in the past has helped pay for MRI equipment designed especially for premature infants, said Georgeanne Youmans, guild past president. "This is an unbelievably wonderful cause," Youmans said.

"At Nordstrom, supporting our community is a key part of doing business," said Julie Kuns, Nordstrom vice president and regional manager.

Tickets for the opening gala are $100 per person. For more information or to make a reservation, call (805) 449-2590.

Nordstrom will open to the public at 10 a.m. Fri., Sept. 5. At 8 a.m. and until the store opens there will be a cosmetics "beauty bash" in the center courtyard outside the mall entrance. During the event, customers will receive a free breakfast and a makeup and skincare consultation by beauty experts.