What has 5,000 brassieres, a gelato bar, a professional pianist and enough shoe boxes to build a pile five miles high?

Nordstrom.

Technically, these items aren't in Nordstrom's first Hawai'i department store yet. But they will be when the three-level store at Ala Moana Center opens March 7.

Yesterday the Seattle-based retailer threw open the store's doors for a media tour, providing the first inside look at what's to come for Hawai'i shoppers.

Kristen Niimi, a 24-year-old Honolulu insurance company office manager, said she's eagerly anticipating what the store will feature, and is looking forward to another department store option on O'ahu.

"I'm kinda thinking that it's going to (fill a gap) between Neiman Marcus and Macy's," she said. "I'm pretty excited about that."

Nordstrom largely will be a place to buy shoes — mostly women's shoes. The company said five shoe departments will cover about 15,000 square feet of the 210,000-square-foot store. That's 50 percent more space than the Nordstrom shoe store at Ward Centre.

The emphasis on shoes is related to Nordstrom's history as a department store chain that evolved from a family shoe store.

SALON, FACIAL ROOMS

Three of the five shoe departments are for women, and are located near the primary entrance, where the store's second floor connects to the rest of Ala Moana Center by a concourse lined with new stores.

Other sections are typical for a department store: cosmetics, jewelry, handbags, sunglasses and numerous apparel sections for women, men and children. However, cosmetics will be in the open, not in glass cases, and apparel will be categorized by style, price, fit and occasion, not brand.

Among the more unique store elements are a spalike nail salon, two private facial rooms and a behind-the-scenes alterations factory equipped with clothing presses, cleaning devices and about 20 industrial sewing machines.

"This is a very important part of our business, to take care of customers in our store," said Nordstrom spokeswoman Brooke White. "We consider this a point of difference for our company."

Known for its extraordinary customer service, Nordstrom also employs an in-store personal shopping service in which a staff of "fashion experts" will be available to help shoppers with merchandise selections.

As for food, the store features two large espresso bars called Ebar, the gelato bar operated by local frozen dessert maker Maurice Grasso, and a 200-seat dining hall called Marketplace Cafe selling entrees, soft drinks, beer and wine.

The store will feature live piano music, which historically was a fixture at Nordstrom stores until the company in recent years began eliminating or cutting back the position. White said a pianist will perform 35 percent to 50 percent of the time at the new store.

Overseeing store operations will be Brian Tatsumura, a 34-year Nordstrom employee who started his career in the stockroom of Nordstrom's shoe department inside Liberty House and is presently general manager of the Nordstrom Rack at Ward Centers.

"We are very excited to open our own full-line store," he said.

Nordstrom, a company founded in 1901 that today has 156 stores in 28 states, has sought a full-line department store in Hawai'i for around 20 years.

LONG HISTORY IN ISLES

The company had two prior preliminary agreements to develop a store — one in 1996 at Ala Moana that was canceled by a Liberty House lawsuit, and one at Ward Centers that was canceled in 2002 when the Kaka'ako retail complex was bought by Ala Moana's owner, General Growth Properties.

Nordstrom's history in Hawai'i dates back 40 years when it ran the shoe departments at Liberty House, the local department store chain that became Macy's in 2001.

Nordstrom ceased its business at Liberty House in 1997, after which Nordstrom opened a stand-alone shoe store at Ala Moana Center.

In 2000, the company opened its discount outlet Nordstrom Rack at Ward Centers. The Ala Moana shoe store was closed in 2002 and replaced by a bigger shoe store at Ward. The Ward shoe store will close a day before the department store opens, but the Nordstrom Rack will remain.

Reach Andrew Gomes at agomes@honoluluadvertiser.com.