Opening day sales were better than projected for the store due to a high level of student interest, according to sales associate Claire Yao '16.
"I worked at night on the cash register, but it was really busy and people have seemed really interested so far," Yao said.
Yao is a member of The Dartmouth business staff.
Hanover residents and students said they were pleased with the store's opening as it provides them with more variety in clothing options.
Randi Young '15, president of the Dartmouth Fashion Council, said that the addition of a J. Crew in Hanover will positively impact fashion on campus. Dartmouth students have few options for purchasing versatile clothing in the area.
J. Crew offers "a clean-cut, tailored look that suits Ivy League students very well," she said. While the council has no current plans to work J. Crew's pieces into its fashion shows and photoshoots, Young said she was optimistic about how the store could influence the club's future activities.
The store's clothing style is typical of Ivy League students and will therefore likely be popular in Hanover, Upper Valley resident Alex Sanchez said.
"I can understand why J. Crew is doing so well," he said. "It's a very Ivy League thing."
Student interest in the store has been high, Yao said. Customers at J. Crew said they were not surprised by the store's popularity.
The store's merchandise suits students and young professionals' lifestyle, Henry Xu '13 said.
"I think it's a good fit," he said. "I liked the Gap a lot, and I feel like J. Crew is for people who are really getting out into the real world."
Others expressed doubts that students would be interested in another clothing outlet in Hanover, citing concerns about its high price range.
Upper Valley resident Kyle Hopfield said the store's customer base would likely consist of wealthy clientele and would alienate people with less money to spend on clothing.
"There's little cheap clothing that people can access in Hanover," he said.
The affluence of many local residents may have influenced J. Crew's decision to open a franchise in Hanover, Hopfield said.
Talbots manager Maria Lopresti said J. Crew would be good for other clothing stores in Hanover, as it may bring more customers to the area.
Although Lopresti had not visited the store herself, she said she was excited to shop there.
The number of brand-name clothing stores in Hanover will benefit the town's small businesses, she said.
Many customers appreciated the store's ambiance. Sanchez said that she was "very impressed" by the environment that J. Crew offered and praised the friendliness of the staff. Yao said she enjoys her job and finds the working environment to be very welcoming.
The store will offer a 20 percent discount on all merchandise until March 1, according to Yao. J. Crew's also offers a year-student discount, which gives college students 15 percent off any in-store purchase.
The company, which has opened over 300 stores in its 30-year history, has seen consistent growth in revenue in the past few years, according to its website. Its space at 20 South Main Street was formerly occupied by a Gap clothing store that closed last spring.
This is J. Crew's second retail shop in New Hampshire. It also operates three outlets in the state. There is one retail shop and one outlet in Vermont.
The Hanover J. Crew store managers declined to comment.
