Blue Nile to open first-ever store at Roosevelt Field

Online diamond and fine jewelry retailer Blue Nile will open its first-ever physical store next month at Roosevelt Field mall.

The grand opening will be on June 5 at 10 a.m. at the mall, 630 Old Country Rd. in Garden City. The 325-square-foot store, on the mall's main level near guest services and the H&M store, will employ a half-dozen people.

The move is part of the e-commerce company's plan to expand into the brick and mortar space with its "Webroom" opening. The Blue Nile store will give customers the opportunity to try on products previously only seen on its website and work with in-store, noncommissioned consultants on personalized jewelry.

Last year, Blue Nile tested display cases of its jewelry in two Nordstrom stores, including the Roosevelt Field store and one in Seattle.

"We believe there may be a certain segment of consumers who want to see and touch the diamond, and the Webroom is a test to see if that belief is correct," Blue Nile spokesman Josh Holland said in a statement. "We're not simply opening a traditional store with massive overhead. Instead, we're creating an efficient Webroom that allows us to simultaneously disrupt and leverage the brick and mortar experience."

Founded in Seattle in 1999, the publicly traded Blue Nile posted $473.5 million in sales last year. The company has become the largest online retailer of certified diamonds and fine jewelry, according to Internet Retailer Magazine.