shoppers were greeted by niemann marcus workers cheering with pom-poms. they lined up about 90 minutes before the doors opened. it's light inside with art by bay area artists. this, after two years. there was a battle between two shopping mall giant and concern among residents about parking, traffic, and the size of the store. in tenhe end, the walnut creek residents got it here. >> it will be a destination. people from sacramento on down. it will be a destination. people will migrate here because of niemann's. >> i think the negativity is gone. the people that supported it are excited at it. it's a good day for walnut creek and the county. >> earl will i this morning, a big party atmosphere out here with a band and people dancing. people ready to pull out the credit cards and shop. or just look. a lot of people saying, they just wanted to see what the fuss was about. the store hours say it's open until 9:00 tonight. reporting live this walnut creek, christie smith. >> i think e counted three men many there. >>> signs that the job forecast is strengthenin

store managers say the public will get its first chance at the high end merchandise on friday. >> niemann marcusy. we're excited to be opening our 42nd store here in northern california. >> people jump on bart to go to the city to go to niemann's. >> the 87,000 square foot store is filled with brands, including prada and gucci, also has its on niemann brother's cafe. >>> forbes list of richest people is out. holding onto the top stop, carlos slim. following on his heel, microsoft cofounder, bill gates, and warren buffet. also several people from the bay area on the list, including oracle's larry ellison who came in sixth. and ranked 35th, facebook's 27- year-old mark zuckerberg, worth $17.5 billion. >>> in news of the world tonight in afghanistan, six british soldiers have been killed in hellman province. the largest one day loss of life for british forces in six years. it appears their armored vehicle hit a roadside bomb while on patrol last night. >>> in syria, amateur video shows the devastation in a neighborhood of the city of homes that had been a base for opposition fighters. today, the hu

store managers say the public will get its first chance at the high end merchandise on friday. >> niemann marcuss a 100-year- old company. we're excited to be opening our 42nd store here in northern california. >> people jump on bart to go to the city to go to niemann's. >> the 87,000 square foot store is filled with brands, including prada and gucci, also has its on niemann brother's cafe. >>> forbes list of richest people is out. holding onto the top stop, carlos slim. following on his heel, microsoft cofounder, bill gates, and warren buffet. also several people from the bay area on the list, including oracle's larry ellison who came in sixth. and ranked 35th, facebook's 27- year-old mark zuckerberg, worth $17.5 billion. >>> in news of the world tonight in afghanistan, six british soldiers have been killed in hellman province. the largest one day loss of life for british forces in six years. it appears their armored vehicle hit a roadside bomb while on patrol last night. >>> in syria, amateur video shows the devastation in a neighborhood of the city of homes that had been a base for opposition

. >>> it took years to happen but today walnut creek is celebrating the grand opening of niemann marcus wong is there to talk about how it's effecting the economy. >> wait until the doors open. >> reporter: the doors don't open for another 4.5 hours. we have seen people inside getting the store ready for the grand opening today. certainly many view this as an economic boost to the area and city. it is expected to bring in $600,000 in annual tax revenue. today's grand opening marks a battle over the store that lasted years. last night there was a red carpet gala to mark the opening. it was a black tie event. this store more than 85,000 square feet and comes with more than 200 jobs battle over the store wasn't about niemann marcus of a company. it came with worries about parking and traffic. those concerns were strong enough to lead to an unprecedented ballot measure over the store. voters ultimately approved that measure giving the store a green light. owners of sun valley mall in concord a short distance from here also joined the fight. but that is history now and at present everyone fo

. >> last night in walnut creek the red carpet was rolled out for an opening of niemann marcus. it will bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales taxes each year. >>> an annual economic analysis by the federal aviation administration predicts that air fares are likely to stay high throughout this decade. the faa also predicts air travel will double over the next 20 years. mergers has reduced the number of airlines and price relief is not expected to come until the airlines get more competition. >> the mergers have given the airlines more pricing power and they have used that to bring fares up. >> more airline competition is still years away. the analysts say the best thing to do is book your ticket online as early as you can. >>> if you haven't seen them yet, you may get a chance to see the two gray whales in the san francisco bay this weekend. the mother and calf were spotted between alcatraz island and fort mason. they may be seen anywhere from san francisco to tomales bay. they are believed to be migrating to alaska. just a reminder they are protected by federal law.

sold in ever niemann marcus stores. there's a really beautiful selection.mel truffles. you can just buy a box of the truffles. >> they're inside dancing. they're working it off, what i'm eating out here. >> so julia baker. isn't that amazing? we're giving it to all of you, too. $20 to $50, slashed in half. she's an amazing amazing chocolatier. >> really, really good. oh, boy. something to take home today. >> yes, check out the names. we have harper. a little teddy bear with a bunny outfit. so cute. also, on the baskets themselves, we have harper and elliott. this is how it comes, already with the candy and the names. this is maxwell. >> who is maxwell? >> margo's baby. you have to get my boss's baby out here. front and center as you'll notice. the prices are amazing. regularly $20 to $25, already a good price. personalization is an extra $1.50. we're slashing the prices in half. $10 to $12.50. you can get a bunny, a basket. comes in colors for boys and girls. you gotta love it. >>> another thing the girls would love, whether it's your girls or ali, they're