Fashion Outlets of Chicago opened Thursday, August 1, 2013, at 10 a.m. Carole Pala was one of the hundreds of shoppers who flocked to the outlet mall's grand opening.
"There's everything and anything you could possibly want here. And probably more that I haven't even seen," Pala said.
With 130 stores -- including anchor stores Neiman Marcus Last Call, Saks Off Fifth, Bloomingdales and Forever 21 -- and restaurants, Fashion Outlets in Rosemont, located near Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, is the first fully-enclosed mall to be built in the Chicago area in more than 20 years.
"This is an awesome location, centrally located, don't have to go downtown [deal with] the traffic downtown. I'm excited about Gucci being in Rosemont," shopper Tara Zeno said.
Financed by AWE Talisman and Macerich, the mayor of Rosemont says Fashion Outlets of Chicago provides 2,000 jobs and will bring the village $6 million a year in sales tax revenues.
"We wanted it to be a home. We wanted it to be a part of the community. Geographically, we're located centrally," Arthur Wiener, developer, said.
"We got some lemons, and we made some tasty lemonade here," Rosemont Mayor Bradley Stephens said. "This is tremendous. People are all going to go away happy, and with something to show for the money. We weren't successful with the casino, and that's OK."
"There's a tremendous amount of sales tax revenue, comes to our state. Also, the people that work here, they get an income, they get a job," Ill. Gov. Pat Quinn.
"Me getting a job is so excellent, because my other job, it wasn't for me. So in this I get to interact with people, talk to people, and do everything. So I feel like this here was the best opportunity," Frank Davis, worker, said.
The outlet will provide shuttle service to and from the airport for travelers, and to and from some downtown hotels. It's also close to the CTA's Blue Line Rosemont station. Fashion Outlets of Chicago is located on Fashion Outlets Way off of Balmoral Road in Rosemont and off of I-294 at the intersections of I-190 and I-90.
