ATLANTA -- Amid decisions by two other national retailers to shutter stores and pull out of the Atlanta market, Bloomingdale's, the New York-based department store that specializes in upscale goods, is set to debut this weekend.

The store, which is known to diehard fans as Bloomies and carries such designer names as Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs and Donna Karan, will officially open two stores Saturday at Lenox Square and Perimeter Mall following a two-day sneak peek Thursday and Friday for existing credit card holders and other VIPs.

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Many shoppers who were fortunate enough to preview the store before the official opening had good things to say.

"I love it. I was waiting for this store to come," said shopper Mary Beth Donahue. "It's fabulous, it's beautiful and it's going to put the rest of the retail shops to shame."

"I believe it will make it," said customer Shereka Broughton, who based her estimate on the number of people who were shopping in the store during the preview. "I believe Bloomingdale's will turn out well."

There has been talk for at least 10 years that Bloomingdale's, which already has stores in Florida, Minnesota, California and Illinois, would establish an outpost in Metro Atlanta.

The company is opening stores locally amid an economic slump and difficult times for traditional retailers.

Indeed, Bloomingdale's entry in the local market occurred after Federated Department Stores Inc., the retailer's parent company which also owns Rich's and Macy's, decided to shutter many of the Macy's stores earlier this year and merge the remaining ones with Rich's. The two Bloomingdale's stores will occupy sites that used to house Macy's.

Lord & Taylor, another New York-based chain, decided earlier to close its Metro Atlanta stores to concentrate on markets where it has a more dominant presence.

The store marks the first new major department store to open in Atlanta since 1998 when Nordstrom set up shop. Filene's Basement, a national off-price retailer, opened a store in Buckhead five months ago.

Experts said the opening of Bloomingdale's may mean decreased sales for competitors.

"This is new," said Dr. Rajeev Dhawan, an economic forecaster. "This brings in a new product mix, which always revitalizes sales in the area but . . . it may come at the expense of existing retailers."

And yet, the product mix carried by Bloomingdale's is less luxe than that carried by Neiman-Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue but slightly above the goods carried by other metro department stores, including Rich's-Macy's and Dillard's.

To entice shoppers, the stores will have several amenities, including the 59th and Lex Cafe, a 50-seat restaurant on the lower level at Lenox, the "B" Cafe at Perimeter, which will serve coffee drinks and other treats. Both stores will have cooking demonstrations.

Both metro stores will allow small dogs on the premises, a no-no at most other area retailers. Other customer services include alterations, bridal registry, fur storage, girls' night out parties, monogramming shops and a coat and package check.

Customer Evelyn Kirshstein said the special services set Bloomingdale's apart from other retailers.

"I don't like department stores and this to me is a large store but it's not a department store," she said. "It's more upscale."

Said Donahue: "The bottom line is Bloomingdale's doesn't carry the same merchandise that all those other stores do."

Channel 2 Action News reporter Lori Geary and wsbtv.com staff writer Alfred Charles contributed to this report.