Commons to help customers whose motto is Forever 21

To a lot of women in the area, adding a Forever 21 to the fall lineup of shops at the Destin Commons goes beyond simply having more options; the opening equals savings on everything from trendy clothing, to gas and shipping costs.

Destin resident Alison Saiz said she was “super excited” when she heard the news and was quick to admit she has crossed state lines for her Forever 21 fashion fix more than once before.

As a long time local, she is the proud owner of hundreds of dollars worth of clothes from the famous boutique — but it’s taken some legwork

“I refuse to pay shipping for things, so we’d just drive to the one in Mobile for the day,” she said.

She says the two-and-a-half hour drive is really not a big deal for her and her fellow fashion seekers: mom, aunt, and cousins.

There are locations in Pensacola and Tallahassee, which she has definitely been to, but the one in Mobile is bigger and “has everything.”

In her last trip to Forever 21 in Mobile, she spent around $250 dollars, but anyone who knows anything about the boutique knows that’s a lot of stuff. “Two bagfuls” to be exact.

 “If you're going to go, make it count,” she said.

The boutique was founded in 1984 with one tiny location in Southern California, and now has over 460 stores in the United State alone, with more stores popping up all over Asia.

Famous for overflowing clothing racks at affordable prices, Forever 21 is filling malls all over America with its signature super square footage, being the boutique that doubles as a huge shopping arena. The new store at the Commons will be a little over 7,000 square feet and will employ 60 people. During their job fair last weekend, they filled over half those positions with locals.

“Forever 21 will enhance the unique tenant mix of the center,” said Jackie Soffer, managing partner for Turnberry Associates.

Long time Forever 21 connoisseur, Stephanie Yelverton, agrees that it is a great addition to the shopping experience at the Commons.

“I think it’s going to create a lot of competition because it’s so affordable, and a lot of the women’s boutiques at Commons aren’t,” she said.

Yelverton, who lives in Fort Walton, has regularly ordered online since last summer.

When she first heard the news via text message from a fellow girlfriend, she thought “Oh, great, another reason to spend all my money,” she joked.