Fans of Cost Plus World Market Greet Retailer's Return to Roseville

When Cost Plus World Market shuttered the doors three years ago to its Roseville store,  the retailer's departure left a hole in Rosedale Marketplace and the hearts of its fans.

On Thursday morning, the California-based merchant of home decor and gourmet foods from around the world plugged that 10,000 square-foot vacancy: It held a grand reopening ceremony in the very same Roseville quarters it had occupied before.

"We are thrilled to be back," Kevin Darbison, World Market district manager, told Roseville Patch. The company also opened a store on Thursday in Bloomington.

"We have a really stable platform to build off," Darbison said. "We felt these were the right two stores (to have) come back."

For Roseville Mayor Dan Roe, World Market's return is another sign of retail picking up again. "Hopefully, things are turning around," he said.

When World Market encountered financial troubles and then downsized operations, shuttering all of its Twin Cities store in 2009, the company heard about it.

Darbison said the company received a steady stream of customer pleas to reopen in Roseville. "It was feedback from (World Market's) Facebook and Twitter that they (shopppers) wanted us to come back," he said.

Several shoppers confirmed that, telling Patch that they were disappointed when World Market closed.

"I'm super excited that they (World Market) are back in the cities," said Tracy Fiebiger, who said she was looking to buy some decor accessories for her new spa salon, Phresh Spa Salon, in St. Louis Park.

Anneke Schultz, of St. Paul, said she is such a fan of World Market that she checks to see if the retailer has stores in the cities where she is travelling.

Meanwhile, Beth Salzl, of Roseville, said she loves World Market's selection of gourmet foods. She added that World Market is great place to buy gift iitems.

That's something Daribson said World Market has worked hard to build, its reputation as a destination for gift baskets. He noted the company has invested a lot of time in training its staff on how to promote and sell gift baskets. Gift baskets can range from a $10 appreciation for a school teacher up to $100 or more as a way to recognize a company's corporate clients, he said.

This morning, the first 200 visitors to World Market received a free tote bag. The store will offer the same freebie to the first 200 shoppers on Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings, as well.

Meanwhile the Roseville store will host a meet-and-greet from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.on Saturday (Sept. 15) with celebrity dancer  Maksim Chmerkovskiy. For further details, click on this World Market web page.

To read more about Cost Plus World Market,

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