DSW Makes Its ‘Shoeprint’ on Manhattan
PR Newswire Mon, 25 Oct 2004 7:40 AM PDT
– Bette Midler, New York Restoration Project Founder, Participates in Grand Opening Ceremony at the DSW Union Square Shoe Store in New York –
NEW YORK, Oct. 25 /PRNewswire/ — DSW, one of America’s largest retailers of fashion, designer and specialty-branded footwear for men and women, celebrated the grand opening of its first stores in New York City, located at Union Square and Battery Park City, for millions of fashionable, shoe-savvy Manhattanites. As part of the festivities, the Ohio-based company announced the donation of $500,000 to the New York Restoration Project (NYRP), founded by singer and entertainer Bette Midler in 1995, who welcomed DSW to the neighborhood and accepted the donation on behalf of NYRP during a “shoelace”-cutting ceremony today.
DSW’s $500,000 donation to the NYRP, a public/private partnership that works to reclaim, restore and develop under-resourced parks, community gardens and open space in New York City, demonstrates the company’s commitment to its new home in the Big Apple. Along with the monetary donation, the shoe retailer also donated work boots and sneakers to the NYRP crew in the field
for their clean-up and revitalization efforts.
“I want to thank DSW from the bottom of my heart for their generous contribution to making the most fabulous city in the world also the most beautiful,” said Midler. “You rock, DSW, and on behalf of all New Yorkers, we welcome you here with all our heart and ‘sole.'”
With the openings of DSW Union Square and Battery Park City, NYRP and DSW both share the goal of investing in the communities they serve for a more beautiful New York. Because NYRP believes that every individual has the right to a beautiful neighborhood and the responsibility for contributing to its care, DSW supports NYRP as a way of giving back to the community in which DSW now resides.
Amy Gavaris, acting executive director of NYRP said, “The generosity of DSW is overwhelming. We at NYRP are committed to helping every New Yorker have a clean and beautiful neighborhood, and we are extremely gratified that DSW, our ‘new neighbors,’ are so graciously helping us do our work. NYRP and all of New York City thank you.”
“It’s a natural fit for DSW to arrive in New York, America’s greatest walking city and fashionable shoe capital,” said Charles Rath, chief marketing officer of Retail Ventures, Inc., the parent company of DSW. “Whether it’s through the fashion and designer shoes DSW offers or our investment in the New York Restoration Project, we aim to make New York City even more beautiful to walk through.”
Located at Union Square and Battery Park City, in prime destination-shopping areas, each of the two new DSW stores offer more than 40,000 pairs of shoes-from designer to athletic-in the latest styles for men and women at pleasantly surprising values. “With current and fresh footwear and accessories arriving on a daily basis, our stores will help redefine the way Manhattanites shop for shoes,” said Rath. “We offer the best choice for selection, convenience-including same-day-local and out-of-town delivery services to accommodate the lifestyles of busy New York City dwellers-and value.”
The Union Square store is a 30,000 square-foot retail space, located at 4 Union Square South (on 14th Street between Broadway and University Place). The Battery Park City store is a 30,000 square-foot space, located at 102 North End Avenue (off of Vesey and West Side Highway, above the Battery Park Cinema).
DSW: Founded in 1991, DSW, a Retail Ventures Services, Inc., company, is one of the largest branded shoe retailers in America. The company, based in Columbus, Ohio, employs approximately 5,000 associates and operates over 165 stores from coast to coast.
NYRP: The New York Restoration Project (NYRP) carries out Bette Midler’s dream of a cleaner, more beautiful New York. NYRP restores, revitalizes, and develops underserved parks, community gardens, and open space in New York City. The NYRP invests in the communities they serve by providing on-going maintenance and programs because they believe that every individual has the right to a beautiful neighborhood and the responsibility for contributing to its care.
For more pictures: Click Here
Love, Mister D
