Seventeen years in the making, the newest Domain phase celebrated its grand opening today as North Austin’s premier place to live, work and play. “[Domain Northside] is the largest first-class shopping district in Central Texas and one of the largest in the country,” said Ben Bufkin, a principal with Domain developer Endeavor Real Estate Group. “… It was envisioned, designed and built by Austin.” Featuring tenants such as Nordstrom, Archer Hotel Austin and Restoration Hardware’s four-story design gallery, Domain Northside has 600,000-square-foot of retailers and restaurants, including the Rock Rose district. “It’s the ultimate playhouse—the epicenter of the geographic area,” Bufkin said. Rock Rose is home to several locally owned businesses, which began opening in January. Businesses include Lavaca Street Bar, Turf & Surf Po-Boy, Birds Barbershop, Raven + Lily, Apanas Coffee & Beer, The Dogwood, Jack & Ginger’s, 77 Degrees Rooftop, Tarka Indian Kitchen, Salvation Pizza and Kung Fu Saloon. On Aug. 30, the 171-room Archer hotel opened along with Second Bar + Kitchen inside. RH Austin, The Gallery at The Domain opened Sept. 16 featuring four floors of modern and contemporary furnishings and decor, including a rooftop garden. Another 31 retailers opened their doors today, including the 127,500-square-foot Nordstrom, SoulCycle, The Frye Co., Hanna Anderson, Kiehl’s, NYX cosmetics, Alex and Ani, Marmi shoes and Sephora. Nordstrom features five shoe departments, an espresso bar, a full-service restaurant and bar Bazille, a pickup area for online orders, valet parking and leather embossing, spokesperson Anya Pavlovic said. The store also features Austin and Texas brands, such as Misha Blaise Art, Son of a Sailor and Satchel & Sage. “[The store has] the latest design, more modern, more light,” she said. “We want shopping to feel like a natural environment to customers.” Domain Northside General Manager AJ Coffee said she is looking forward to the rest of the shops opening later in 2016. Another 20 percent will be open before the holidays and the remainder will open by mid-2017. “We tried to bring [retailers and restaurants] that would make it unique,” Coffee said. “We just created a community, a neighborhood." District 7 Council Member Leslie Pool also declared Sept. 30 as Domain Northside Day. She said Domain Northside provides a glimpse into the community it’s creating. “It gives a place for Austin businesses to call home, and it puts Austin on the map.” [g-slider gid="188462" width="100%" height="55%"]