Macy's Backstage comes to Fox Valley Mall in Aurora

The curtain is rising on Macy's Backstage at Fox Valley Mall in Aurora.

This discount store-within-a-store, located on the upper level of Macy's, has an official grand opening from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 28. The free event features a giveaway of 200 gift cards valued at $5 or $10, other prize raffles and refreshments from Naperville-based Tapville Social.

“Of the 15 Macy's stores in the state of Illinois, only three have introduced Backstage previously,” Fox Valley Mall Senior General Manager Scott Samson said about other locations at Hawthorne Mall in Vernon Hills, Westfield Old Orchard in Skokie, and the River Oaks Center in Calumet City.

Within the past decade, Macy's has been rolling out its Backstage discount stores nationwide within existing locations and as stand-alone stores in some cases. A Macy's Backstage notably opened in the company's flagship Herald Square store in New York this month.

Macy's Backstage targets bargain shoppers. It competes with other discount stores like Nordstrom Rack, Ross, Marshalls and Burlington. And the Backstage items specifically are not sale or clearance items from the Macy's department store.

“They have everything from fashion to home furnishings to toys,” Samson said. “These are brands that aren't in the rest of the store.”

For Samson, the addition of a Macy's Backstage at Fox Valley Mall will hopefully bring in more shoppers as Macy's expands its customer base by offering items at different price points.

Samson added that The Dream Academy of Dance Arts is relocating within Aurora to take over the mall's former Charming Charlie space. A bulk candy store chain called Sweet Treasure also is opening this summer.

Fox Valley Mall is also welcoming the civic-minded Box Lunch store that donates to the food bank charity Feeding America from its sales of pop-culture merchandise. A nonprofit foundation called Deaf Welcome is also opening within the mall, and it trains and provides sign language professionals for schools, churches and more.

“The traditional regional mall is being really transitioned into a 24/7 live, work, play community,” Samson said. “It's really tied to the wants and needs of the community.”