Albany Mall Belk store to re-open Thursday

ALBANY — The Belk store in the Albany Mall will reopen Thursday and feature updated designs. The first 100 customers will receive a gift card ranging from $5-$500. A coupon for 25 percent off of purchases that day will be provided with limited exclusions.

“We’re just really wanting to show the community that we’re investing in them, and that we are giving back to them,” Belk Communications Specialist Kailey Miller said. “We’ve been in the Albany community for 81 years, so that’s another one of the reasons we really wanted to thank our customers there for their loyalty over many, many decades.”

According to a news release from the company, “Belk is on a journey to reimagine the department store” and the retailer has invested more than $70 million over the last two years to grow and deliver new stores. According to Miller, part of the vision is to become more of a one-stop shop.

“(Belk’s reimagining has) just been the goal of our whole company — and our CEO when she came in — just making sure that when the customer comes in, they’re getting that top-line experience from the minute they step foot in the door at our stores across our 16 states, no matter which store they’re in,” Miller said. “They can find what they need to dress their room, their home, their outfits, their big life moments, and they can find everything in one spot — their one-stop shop.”

The Belk in Albany will feature updated design choices such as new carpet, new fitting rooms, paint and LED lighting.

“We just wanted to brighten things up for our customers and really enhance their shopping experience,” Miller said. “There’s also updates across the board in the dressing rooms and the bathrooms just so that they have the best experience when they’re in the store beyond just the merchandise they’re finding.”

Along with re-opening the store, Belk’s Project Hometown will donate $5,000 to Camp Arrow, a weeklong residential camp in southwest Georgia designed to meet the needs of children with multiple disabilities. Miller said the choice to donate to Camp Arrow came after speaking with the storekeepers at the Albany Mall Belk.

“It’s important to us to give back to the communities that we are in,” the communications specialist said. “We actually worked with the storekeepers there in Albany and asked them specifically who they wanted to give back to. That’s what we’ve done with our other refreshes as well because they really know the communities best. They’re in there with the customers and with their associates every day. That’s the best way for them to know who needs that help.”

The re-opening will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the mall, located at 2601 Dawson Road.