New store opens to huge crowd at Bellis Fair mall

Hundreds of people lined up at Bellis Fair early Friday, June 17, for the opening of cosmetic store Sephora inside JC Penney.

“The line, it was so worth it,” said Lori Rodriguez, who showed up with her sister, Brendy Infante, for Infante’s 26th birthday.

“We could have come a little earlier, but we had to get ready to look good for Sephora,” Rodriguez said with a laugh.

The two Ferndale women, like many shoppers Friday, had been traveling to Alderwood Mall — the nearest Sephora store in Washington state — to buy their favorite items. Among the hottest items Friday were limited edition sets and some makeup already sold out on the Sephora website.

Tani Sullivan did get there early — at 6 a.m. — to snag one of the coveted $50 gift cards to the first shoppers.

“It’s super crazy here,” she said.

Sullivan was thrilled Sephora has come to Bellis Fair, noting the mall has been getting better retailers in recent years. Another cosmetic store, Ulta Beauty, plans to open a 10,000-square-foot store near Abercrombie & Fitch in the mall later this year.

“When I first got here there was no Forever 21 or anything like that,” she said. “So the fact that they’re putting in a Sephora is a huge deal.”

Sephora will be open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

This story was originally published June 18, 2016 at 2:20 PM with the headline "New store opens to huge crowd at Bellis Fair mall."