Long line for opening of first Detroit H&M, some nab $500 coupons

JC Reindl | Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Detroit H&M opening brings long lines, excited customers Many of the early arrivals came with hopes of snagging $500 coupons.

Hundreds of people stood in line Thursday morning along Woodward Avenue in Detroit for the grand opening of the city's first H&M retail store, the latest addition to downtown's resurgent retail landscape.

The line outside H&M, 1505 Woodward Ave., started forming at about 5:30 a.m. and stretched the full length of the block by the time the store opened at noon.

Many of the early arrivals said they came for a chance at the biggest H&M discount coupons. The retailer announced that it would hand out coupons ranging from $10 to $500 to the first 500 shoppers in line.

"We've been out here since 5:30," said Michael Crombez, 21 of Sterling Heights, who stood at the very front of the line with a friend. He later became one of at least two people to snag a $500 coupon.

"Got to get that deal, man," Crombez said, explaining his predawn arrival.

The 25,000-square-foot H&M spreads across three storefronts and two floors, and brings a major expansion of affordable, midlevel shopping options to downtown. The storefronts were previously empty.

H&M is a Swedish "fast fashion" retailer known for modest prices, trendy styles and quick refreshes of inventory. The store stocks clothing and accessories for infants to adults, and is the 19th H&M location in Michigan and 562nd in the country.

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Downtown Detroit has seen a number of new store openings from national brands in the past four to five years, including Nike, Lululemon, Moosejaw, Warby Parker and Under Armour. The H&M store is unique for its combination of wide-ranging inventory and mass market appeal.

“You can find something for like $5 all the way up to maybe $99," Samara D'Auira, an H&M spokesperson, said during a store tour Wednesday. “Traditionally we stay in that sweet spot of $29.99, $39.99, $49.99, and don’t go much above that."

The Detroit store will be a full-line H&M and carry the retailer's latest inventory, similar to other H&Ms across the country, she said.

The store is situated in a Bedrock-owned building on the west side of Woodard between John R and Park Avenue, south of Grand Circus Park.

Brinda Smith, 68, of Detroit was among the first 25 people in line. She said she had never before shopped at H&M, and came for a chance at one of the big discount coupons.

"That’s why everybody’s out here," Smith said.

Marie Ledbetter, 41, of Detroit, said she needed one of the coupons to afford Christmas gifts for her 7-year-old daughter. She also was near the front of the line.

“I’m broke, so anything I can do to help me and my daughter," she said.

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