New Saks Opens in Old Pasadena

Saks Fifth Avenue late last week opened its newest department store in California. But don’t look for it in a mall.

The retailer opened a 38,400-square-foot outlet in Old Pasadena, where preservation and renovation efforts have paid off in a bustling urban shopping district that draws more than 50,000 people on its busiest days. The two-level store is in a renovated Art Deco-style building that once housed the Penn Oil & Supply Co.

Saks Fifth Avenue Pasadena--at the intersection of Union and Delacey streets--is part of the company’s Main Street format of stores, which are located primarily in downtown shopping districts. The company’s eight Main Street units are smaller than their mall counterparts but offer more exclusive items and merchandise tailored to local tastes.

“Our new Pasadena store will enable us to deliver a distinctive selection of designer offerings . . . thereby extending our presence in a region with attractive demographics and significant sales potential,” Philip B. Miller, company chairman and chief executive, said in a statement.