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Shoppers christen Old Navy store Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Old Navy�s early opening drew a crowd of shoppers Tuesday morning, some of whom arrived even before the doors opened at the new store on Crater Lake Highway. Clothing outlet is latest in a series of chain stores to locate in Rogue Valley By David Preszler As the doors swung open and an employee chimed "Welcome to Old Navy," Maureen Mitchell expressed the sentiments of many Rogue Valley shoppers: "It�s about time," the 34-year-old Central Point woman said as she made her way into the new 25,226-square-foot store at Crater Lake Plaza. About 30 shoppers were waiting outside before the much-anticipated opening. The first to arrive were 13-year-old Jennifer Kelley of Central Point and her mother, Carol, who showed up at 8:30 a.m. � a half hour before the opening. "Cool," Jennifer Kelley said of the spacious store. Asked why she came so early, she said, "Because it�s my favorite store." "We hit them when we can," Carol Kelley said of her family�s experience with the trendy chain. She said her daughter had been checking the Internet for updates on the opening date and begging to drive by and find out when the big day would be. "She�s a true Old Navy shopper," Carol Kelley said, adding that her daughter had put off her back-to-school shopping so she�d have money to spend at Old Navy. Tuesday�s opening actually came a day earlier than originally announced. But word seemed to have gotten around just fine, judging from the number of cars that filled the lot in the first half hour. The predictable crowd of teenagers was joined not only by their parents but by a number of young parents � the stroller-pushing crowd shopping for baby and mother alike. Crystal Plankenhorn of Central Point and her 6-month-old daughter Baylee arrived about 15 minutes before the opening to "get the best selection." "I think there�ll be a lot of people here and I want to be first," Plankenhorn said. "I drove by every day until I found out when they were opening. I couldn�t wait until they got here. It�s the best thing for this area." Within a few minutes of the opening, she�d already found a fleece vest and a few other items for young Baylee. "I can�t stop grabbing things," she said. The Medford store has about 100 employees and is managed by Ron Garrett, who previously managed Medford�s Emporium store. Nationwide, Old Navy � which is owned by Gap Inc. � has about 520 stores. The Medford store is Old Navy�s fifth in Oregon and its opening ends months and years of pining and speculation in the community. Old Navy is the latest in a string of well-known chain stores to arrive in Medford, much to the delight of shoppers like Mitchell, who moved to Central Point from California 10 years ago. She said it�s been great to see stores like Gymboree, The Gap and Eddie Bauer join the Rogue Valley shopping scene. She�s still holding out hope for a Nordstrom. She came to the Old Navy opening to mark the occasion more than to find any one thing. "I don�t have anything specific I�m looking for," she said. "Maybe some jeans for my 10-year-old son and some good deals." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA