Tiffany’s Comes to Tucson

Perhaps even more significant than Tucson’s hitting the million population mark are some new arrivals in town.

On October 11, 2006, Tiffany & Co. officially opened its doors in the La Encantada Shopping Center.

Coincidentally, Tiffany’s flagship store on 5^th Avenue and 57^th Street in New York is only a stone’s throw away thanks to Jet Blue’s daily direct service to JFK Airport which began on September 28^th.

Several weeks prior, I received a hefty cardboard, Tiffany blue invitation to the founding ceremony and breakfast. Though a proper “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” wasn’t feasible due to the crowd of 150 or so, hors d’ oeuvres and juices were served by white gloved waiters toting silver trays through the dense crowd. Undoubtedly, of Tiffany mint.

Mayor Walkup welcomed Tiffany’s arrival at the ceremony which got under way shortly past 8:00 am. He was joined by local community partners including the TMC Foundation, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation and Tu Nidito.

Everything went smoothly. Just about.

Amid the hoopla, little details like deactivating the alarm system were overlooked.

The motion sensor was promptly tripped by a stampede which hurried through the front doors. A siren wailed for several minutes until a (presumable) call to New York yielded an alarm code to quiet things down.

The store is everything one would expect from Tiffany & Company. Though not of the dimensions of its sister stores on 5^th or Michigan Avenues, the store fits splendidly into its Southwestern surroundings.

And its inventory runs the continuum from understated yet elegant bracelets to a $510,000, 6.53 carrot diamond ring…which I happily tried on.

Though I didn’t get anywhere near the door with that stunner on my finger, I didn’t leave the store empty handed either.

Tiffany gave a gift to each invited guest in their trademarked Tiffany Blue box and shopping bag.

Inside was a lovely sterling silver keychain. This is typical of Tiffany class and cements the lifetime customer loyalty that defines the Tiffany brand.

What does Tiffany’s arrival mean for Tucson? Tucson, and especially The Foothills, are now firmly on the radar screen of the peddlers of panache. And there’s plenty of affluence here to keep them coming in droves.

Louis Vuitton will be opening next month and more high-end retailers will be sure to follow.