If you're one of those people who always says we don't have any good shopping here in the Truckee Meadows, you may soon be eating your words. Women across Northern Nevada have a new reason to smile today, as the Legends at Sparks Marina prepares to open 50 new retail stores.

The big opening day is scheduled for June 18th, just 50-plus days away! Ladies out there who love to shop: pretty soon, you won't have to head all the way to the Bay Area to check out some of your favorite stores.

Construction crews continue putting finishing touches on stores like Michael Kors, Banana Republic and Saks Off Fifth, just to name a few. Reno shopper Kris Rorlinson admits, his wife is probably more excited than he is.

"She's a woman, so she likes to shop. She's not a crazy shopper though. She's pretty good and always looks for bargains and pays attention to what's going on," said Rorlinson.

At least that's what she tells him. Local mom

Linda Rowley says the dozen or so discounted outlet stores are a new reason for her to visit Sparks.

"I have children so I am going to look for anything that pertains to that. I have six-year-old twins so I am also looking for deals. In this economy, I think we have to look for deals."

A mini-fashion show Wednesday--put on by Legends, helped introduce some of the new stores headed to our area. Many people are praising the additions, 39 stores of which have never been introduced to Northern Nevada until now.

But as with all developments, there are some skeptics. Darcy Magnaghi of Cold Springs says she's not sure we really need all the new shops.

"Just because we already have so many stores already and how many stores can we possibly have? It makes me worry that the other stores are going to close down," said Magnaghi.

But Sparks Mayor Gino Martini says he's optimistic. The project will bring an estimated $400 million dollar per year economic impact, not to mention more than 4,000 new jobs once completed. Martini says opening during these tough times is courageous. and a move that should be celebrated by all locals, much like baseball was last week.

"We're very cohesive. You know, Reno has been very good about celebrating our successes and we've been very good about celebrating theirs. This project, like baseball in Reno, no matter where it is, it's good for the Truckee Meadows. It's good for everyone," said Martini.

Some of the other stores we'll soon see in this center include BCBG, Bath and Body Works, Nine West, and Styles For Less. Another installment of stores will open up in the fall, including Forever 21 and a long list of others. To see the full list, head to www.experiencelegends.com.

Legends leaders say they also plan on hiring 700 local people to run the new retail stores. A job fair is scheduled for Thursday, May 7th at John Ascuaga's Nugget in Sparks. The fair will run from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Employers will be accepting resume and applications all day.