Bargain fashionistas line up for H&M opening

In a down economy, a store selling high-fashion clothes on the cheap is bound to be popular.

Add a grand opening giveaway, and prepare to be swamped by hundreds of deal-hunting fashionistas.

That was the scene Thursday at grand opening of the H&M store at Crabtree Valley Mall.

The new store is the only H&M in the Carolinas and expects to draw from both states.

The Swedish company, which traces its roots to 1947, sells clothes for men, women and children in about 2,000 stores in 37 countries.

Mall officials estimated that 1,000 people waited in line before the noon opening, lining the corridor that was once part of Lord & Taylor.

By 2 p.m., that number had grown to 1,500, and by late afternoon, there was still a waiting line to get in.

Sharon Alexander and her friend Donna Mercer arrived at the mall at 9:30 Wednesday night to claim the first spots in line. The women, both from Durham, waited in the car for a few hours and then spent the rest of the night outside the mall doors, camped out with lawn chairs. At 5 a.m., they were allowed into the mall to wait.

"This is my first time ever doing this," Alexander said.

But the waiting paid off.Alexander won a $200 H&M gift certificate, and Mercer won the grand prize $300 certificate. And as the winners, they were allowed into the store half an hour early to shop the racks solo.

"I have a 14-year-old girl," Alexander said. "This is amazing."

Other people in line didn't arrive that early, but many came toting backpacks, chairs, coffee and other supplies. They texted friends and snapped photos of one another with their phones.

For those who were ill-prepared, Kanki, one of the restaurants in the mall, had its employees walking the line hawking $5 sushi-and-bottled-water combos.

In the minutes leading to the opening of the doors, H&M employees dialed up the excitement. Employees clad in black T-shirts showed off their break dancing and hip-hop moves to music just inside the front door.

Then, with a loud, "Welcome to your new favorite store!" the metal gates were opened, and people flooded the 21,000-square-foot store.

They snapped up deals like spring blouses for $5.95 and blazers for $19.95.

"I love it," said Vittoria Longiotti of Chapel Hill. "I've been waiting for them to come, and I've been scouting it out. I had a plan of action. I knew where the women's clothes were, and I went there first."

In all, Longiotti got six items for $139 and said she was pleased with the value.

"It's a notch above Forever 21 because it will last a little longer and because you can wear it out or to work," she said.