Minnesota's first outlet mall opened in Medford in 1991 more than 50 miles from the Twin Cities to protect traditional malls and regular-priced retailers.
The distance has been shrinking ever since and will be obliterated later this month, when Macy's opens its latest Macy's Backstage outlet store inside its current store in Maplewood Mall.
"Macy's Backstage Maplewood was designed to bring great deals and the fun of the hunt into our existing location in Maplewood Mall," Michelle Israel, senior vice president of Macy's off-price business, said in a statement. "Backstage's focus on value and newness guarantees that, with each visit, shoppers will find an amazingly priced assortment of recognizable brands and trends. Frequent deliveries ensure there is always a new reason to come in and shop."
Backstage will include apparel for women, men and kids, shoes, home decor, cosmetics, accessories, gourmet foods, pet supplies and electronics. Much of the merchandise is purchased specifically for Backstage with brands that may not be sold in the full-line Macy's stores.
"The idea that these outlets sell only leftovers is no longer true," said George John, professor of marketing at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management. "The merchandise intended only for outlet stores has become a secondary but important brand." At Nordstrom Rack stores, for example, only 15 percent of the merchandise is from Nordstrom department stores.
Macy's started opening Backstage stores in 2015. There are currently 52 around the country, including 40 in store-within-a-store locations. Only one is part of an outlet mall, at the Rim at La Cantera in San Antonio.
The Rosedale Macy's has a small Backstage department near men's, but it is not representative of the Backstage concept. The Rosedale Backstage was more of a concept test, said Macy's spokeswoman Emily Workman.
"The concept tested there is very different from the store-within-a-store concept we ultimately rolled out as Macy's Backstage throughout the country," she said. "There is still a very small home décor Backstage section at Rosedale from the test. That area is currently being phased out as we open our first store-within-a-store at Maplewood."