BY LISA BIANK FASIG
The Cincinnati Enquirer

When the Tiffany & Co. store opens downtown in November, it won't be the first time the Queen City has trafficked in its trademark ice-blue boxes.

Downtowners might remember that Tiffany operated an outpost here for a few years in the 1980s. It was a small shop at what was called Columbia Tower, now the Chiquita Center, where the posh jeweler dispatched corporate gifts.

Now, almost 10 years later, Tiffany's return calls for an explanation of what the retailer is all about.

The 160-year-old Tiffany & Co. opened in New York at the birth of the Victorian era, a time of fine taste and opulence and a rising middle class. But while it has always been the choice store for the affluent, the store's executives like to think it is financially approachable to anyone.

Wallace Steiner, regional vice president of Tiffany overseeing all but the company's Northeastern region, said the retailer has been building satellite stores in many major cities. But none is in a city smaller than Cincinnati, other than one in Palm Beach, Fla., said retail analyst Richard N. Baum. Tiffany operates 23 stores in the United States and 103 worldwide.

Why Cincinnati? Mr. Steiner cites the timing, the gleaming Fountain Place complex, the area's retail mix, neighborhoods and the surrounding cities where Tiffany does not have stores. There's also the corporate gift market - Procter & Gamble already is a customer. He said Tiffany has been considering Cincinnati for years.

"Cincinnati is really a wonderful city, and it really is one of the grand cities in the Midwest," he said. There's "a strong presence in the downtown posture, and that's attractive."

Mr. Steiner said the Fountain Place store will be larger than what Tiffany is opening nowadays - 7,400 square feet compared with the usual 6,500 square feet. But, he said, a downtown opening is fairly atypical since the retailer has been entering new markets in suburban malls. These satellite stores, such as one to open in a Denver suburb this year, cater to the growing outlying markets. Tiffany soon will be opening boutique stores of 3,500 square feet, which will emphasize its jewelry offerings.

For Cincinnatians, a larger space means a better selection of many of the same jewelry, gift and tabletop items that can be found at its Fifth Avenue flagship store. Mr. Steiner promises exclusive designs from Elsa Peretti, Paloma Picasso and Jean Schlumberger, and one-of-a-kind pieces.

And of course, the heart-fluttering blue box.

TIFFANY'S COMING TO TOWN