Neiman Marcus's Bellevue location is the retailer's 41st full-line store and its first in Washington state. It anchors the Bravern shopping center, which opened in September 2009. Like other stores in the luxury chain, it offers customers luxurious merchandise inside a beautifully designed and spacious retail space with exemplary customer service, even by luxury store standards.
The butterfly is the Neiman Marcus emblem and it is uniquely incorporated into all of its stores. In the Bravern location, clear butterflies hang in long strings over the central escalators, creating a beautiful, sparkling effect.
Also iconic to the chain is its famous cookie, which is served at Mariposa, the store's restaurant. Mariposa, which is open only for lunch, is noteworthy in and of itself. Within a year of opening, the restaurant had already garnered awards from OpenTable. Besides offering an elegant and tasty lunch for shoppers and businesspeople alike, it does a lovely tea service, unique in the area, which is becoming popular with mothers and daughters seeking an Eloise at the Plaza experience. Reservations are recommended.
Also noteworthy is the store's art collection. Few stores have their own curator, but Neiman Marcus proudly does. The art is part of a permanent collection featuring many Northwest artists. One of the themes relevant to our green-oriented region is "the art of recycled materials." The store offers art tours from time to time, but shoppers can view the pieces any time while perusing the designer clothes or housewares. Look for Richard Hunter's "Van Dyke III" in the menswear department -- a blueprint of the store has been incorporated into his mixed media piece.