The bilevel mall, which is connected to the cavernous gaming floor and serves as a bridge to the Sands' new hotel, represents the next phase of expansion among Pennsylvania's gambling halls as they strive to look more and more like their Atlantic City rivals and offer shopping and entertainment.
Janice Woolley, 46, of Easton, and her mother, Kathy Svanda, 70, of Bethlehem, took their business to the new Coach Factory before lunchtime Thursday. Calling herself "a faithful Coach shopper," Woolley was sporting a Coach purse and shoes and was about to buy two new Coach handbags of the same style - a gold one for her, a pink one for her daughter.
"They're great," she said of the prices. Each bag had a regular retail price of $328 and was on sale for $99.
Quality brands at discounted prices are why the mall has been a draw, Sands president Robert DeSalvio said. The remaining stores - Van Heusen, Bass, Izod, Tommy Hilfiger, Dressbarn, Under Armour, and Art of Bread by Georges Perrier - are to open in the spring.
DeSalvio said the mall was part of the Sands' progression into a fully integrated resort destination, a signature of parent company Las Vegas Sands Corp., which owns similar casino resorts in Las Vegas, Macau, and Singapore.
"We've brought the whole package here," he said as he toured the new stores Thursday. "It's the same model we've used worldwide, and it's been a success."
The nearly three-year-old Sands Bethlehem operation - which sits on the former Bethlehem Steel site - added restaurants behind celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse in its first year. In July 2010, it added table games. Then came the 300-room hotel over last Memorial Day weekend.
