New Shopping in Ocala

Kohl’s now open
First day draws crowds of new customers
By Rick CundiffStar-Banner
Published: Thursday, October 2, 2008 at 6:30 a.m. Last Modified: Thursday, October 2, 2008 at 9:24 a.m.

OCALA — Kohl's department store opened in Ocala and Gainesville on Wednesday morning to crowds of first-time customers.

The Ocala store is 88,000 square feet and features wide aisles and plenty of open space, said Kohl's District Manager Lisa Andersen.

"You're going to find a really convenient shopping experience," Andersen said. "We're probably different from traditional department stores."

Kohl's features exclusive brands such as Food Network kitchen appliances and Simply Vera Vera Wang clothing, she said.

"We have brands that you simply can't get anywhere else."
Although the national economy is sluggish and the local economy is faltering, Kohl's wasn't concerned about those issues as it opened 15 Florida stores Wednesday, Andersen said.
"We expand when and where it makes sense," she said.

Outside the Ocala store, customer Jonna Convery was happy to see Kohl's come to town.
"It's lovely. I like it, and their prices are good," she said.

Convery, who has shopped at Kohl's in other states, said the new store was more appropriate for the local economy than other, more high-end retailers such as Dillard's.

"I think for Ocala this is going to work a lot better," she said.

What are your views on the Historic Bailout? How will this effect us?

Congress OKs historic bailout bill; Bush signs it
By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS and DAVID ESPO, Associated Press Writers 50 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - With the economy on the brink and elections looming, Congress approved an unprecedented $700 billion government bailout of the battered financial industry on Friday and sent it to President Bush who quickly signed it. "We have acted boldly to help prevent the crisis on Wall Street from becoming a crisis in communities across our country," Bush said shortly after the vote, although he conceded, "our economy continues to face serious challenges."
Underscoring that somber warning, the Dow Jones industrials, up more than 200 points at the time of the House vote, had fallen into negative territory an hour later. They fluctuated as the afternoon wore on.

"The final vote, 263-171 in the House, capped two weeks of tumult in Congress and on Wall Street, punctuated by daily warnings that the country confronted the gravest economic crisis since the Great Depression if lawmakers failed to act. There were 58 more votes for the measure than an earlier version that failed on Monday. "

........

"Wall Street welcomed the action, but investors also were buffeted by a bad report on the job market. The Labor Department said employers slashed 159,000 jobs in September, the largest cut in five years and further evidence of a sinking economy.

At its core, the bill gives the Treasury Department $700 billion to purchase bad mortage-related securities that are weighing down the balance sheets of institutions that hold them. The flow of credit in the U.S. economy has slowed, in some cases drying up, threatening the ability of businesses to conduct routine operations or expand, and adversely affecting consumers seeking financing for mortgages, cars and student loans. Some state governments have also experienced difficulty borrowing money. "

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Associated Press writers Jim Abrams, Charles Babington, Alan Fram, Suzanne Gamboa, Kimberly Hefling, Andrew Miga, Andrew Taylor, and Erica Werner contributed to this story.

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