GRETNA- Nebraska Crossing Outlets' planned "soft opening" Friday now won't be open to the public, mall officials wrote on their Facebook page Tuesday, walking back on their original plan they hailed as a "test case" for how retailers could open to the public.

"You've heard the news. We are 'soft opening' Nebraska Crossing on 4/24. What does this mean?" the post said. "A 'soft opening' is for store employees only — to begin the process of getting their stores ready for business ... This process can take 1, 2, 3 weeks or more. A store can't just turn on the lights & resume business." said Rod Yates, owner and developer of Nebraska Crossing Outlets'.

Yates had said that Nebraska Crossing was going to be "the first shopping center that opens in North America." He did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request seeking more information on when stores would be open to the public.

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