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After months of anticipation and celebrations, thousands of eager shoppers turned out for the opening day of Canada’s second Nordstrom location at the Rideau Centre Friday morning.

Hundreds lined up hours before the pre-opening beauty bash that started at 7:30 a.m. Elegant beauty stations were set up in the middle of the party on the mall’s first floor where stylists pampered the crowd with consultations and makeovers using luxury fragrance and cosmetic brands like La Mer, Chanel, Diptyque and Tom Ford.

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The energy was palpable with DJ’s pumping out music while dozens of well-manicured Nordstrom employees fawned over guests — whether it was handing out free totes and samples or serving complimentary coffee, juice and croissants, customers were happy with the effort put into the glitzy launch.

“This is great,” said shopper Ugesh, who poured a cup of coffee at the long breakfast table. “I feel like they really value their customers.”