Fashion News: The Natick Collection

SARA MARSH '09

The Natick Mall just got a lot more interesting! The beginning of September became a very busy shopping season due to the grand opening of the Natick Collection. The mall, located off route 9 on the Natick-Framingham border, just expanded and inherited a wide variety of luxury shops. Due to the extensive advertisement of new stores, thousands of people are checking out the new extension of the mall and they are not disappointed. Most are astounded by the amazing sales, special promotions, and unprecedented discounts. The new addition features trendy and sophisticated restaurants, upscale department stores such as Nordstrom’s and Neiman Marcus, and a wide selection of other high-end clothing and accessory stores.

The Natick Mall has always attracted shoppers in need of new outfits or electronics, but the creation of the Natick Collection allows one to do their shopping in style and luxury. The new are more designer based and offer clothing and accessories at better quality. Stores such as, Kate Spade, Betsey Johnson, Juicy Couture, Tommy Bahama, The Apple Store, Banana Republic, J Crew, Lulu Lemon Athletica, BCBG, Max Mara, Burberry, Lacoste, Louis Vuitton and others are some of the new designer stores added to the mall. While these stores are more expensive, they are also more upscale and attract more people. For many, it is easier to travel to Natick than to Boston to find the same selection, and no one wants to deal with Boston traffic and parking? Before Natick collection opened, the only place to grab a meal at the mall was if you either visited the food court, or went to California Pizza Kitchen, which always seems to have a long wait. Some of the new restaurants are The Cheesecake Factory, Finale, The Metropolitan Bar and Grill, Melt Gelato and Crepe Café, Nordstrom Café Bistro, Sel De La Terre, and many more. The wide variety of restaurants allows shoppers to enjoy dinner, lunch or a tasty snack at trendy, high quality restaurants.

The interior decorations throughout the mall are fantastic! There are statues of realistic birch trees throughout the mall, and the floors have all been retiled with marble and are nicely polished. A giant fountain, located where the new section and older section of the mall meet, has created a nice courtyard feeling. The balcony of the second floor looks over the treetops of birch trees that have been mounted into the first floor and the glass ceiling allows the sunshine to glimmer through.

Looking around, the shoppers appear to be happy, excited and overwhelmed. I think that many people are still in shock about how nice the new addition is to the mall. The older part has been refurbished and is still crowded with people. The new wing has brought in many more people to shop at the new stores and as a result numerous people are discovering the improvements to the old section of the mall. If you haven’t already gone to visit the Natick Collection, it’s definitely worth a visit. Make sure you check out the new stores, and restaurants, and bring some extra cash, you may find yourself a new wardrobe!

Image from: www.Boston.com