Belk is back, bigger and better than ever.

The North Main Street retailer is formally celebrating the addition of another 20,000 square feet of shopping space on Aug. 26-27.

&uot;We’re excited,&uot; said Marissa Basla, manager of the Suffolk Shopping Center department store. Although the store never closed, construction has been under way since last January.

The expansion increases the store’s floor space by nearly 30 percent, allowing for a significant increase in its variety of offerings.

&uot;Before, we were constrained by space and could only carry the basics,&uot; Basla said. &uot;Now we can go above and beyond that.&uot;

The store will be able to offer several new merchandise lines, like Nautica, Bandilino, Fossil and Izod for Kids.

The most obvious increases will be in the shoe, handbag and accessory and home departments, she said.

Basla suspects another welcome change will be the store’s decision to move cash registers back into the store’s departments. Initial plans called for registers to remain at the front of the store.

&uot;We found we were a little too big for that,&uot; Basla said. The decision to move registers back to their original locations was prompted by customer input, she added.

During this weekend’s grand re-opening events, customers can enter drawings to win more than $8,000 in merchandise, Basla said. Unlike some promotions, which are companywide, this weekend’s door prizes are strictly for local shoppers.

&uot;This is for shoppers at our store alone,&uot; she said. &uot;This is just for the people in Suffolk.&uot;

allison.williams@suffolknewsherald.com