New women's clothing store opens in Valley Mall

YAKIMA, Wash. — Romy, a women's clothing store that specializes in providing boutique styles at lower prices, recently opened at the Valley Mall in Union Gap. The Seattle-based retailer has been around for more than four years, opening stores throughout the west side of the state.

With people watching their budgets and landlords offering competitive leasing deals, the company decided it was a good time to expand.

Romy's stores have been attracting customers who once shopped at more high-end stores, said general manager Jenifer Steele. The store's highest price point is $38.80 for a dress during the summer months; in the winter, that point goes up to $58.80, when it begins selling coats.

The company is looking to open 200 stores as quickly as possible, Steele said. The store's current plan is to open a store a week through November and begin opening two stores a week in January.

Along with the Valley Mall location, which opened two weeks ago, Romy recently opened a store in Spokane. New locations will pop up in the Oregon cities of Salem, Springfield and Medford in the next three weeks.

Steele believes Romy will be a good complement to Forever 21, which is expected to open later this summer in the former Gottschalks space. Forever 21 has built its brand by offering stylish clothes at reasonable prices.

"They're our competition, but we're focusing on a different customer at the same time," she said.