Ivanka Trump's fashion collection opens store in Trump Tower

— -- The first daughter has expanded her fashion empire, opening a new Ivanka Trump-branded store in the lobby of New York City's Trump Tower.

"In the ever-changing retail landscape, the Ivanka Trump brand is committed to engaging with the customers directly,” her company said in an statement to Bloomberg of the shop, which opened Thursday. "Today, the Ivanka Trump brand is evolving in big ways, but the mission remains the same."

The shop carries handbags, jewelry and gifts, such as scented candles and Christmas ornaments. Shoes and clothing will be added to the store's stock next year, Bloomberg reported. The line dropped its fine jewelry collection, and has been offering more affordable items. The entire collection is sold online.

Various styles of tote bags are $298, for example, while there are several jewelry pieces priced under $100.

The Ivanka Trump store is just one of several Trump-branded business in Trump Tower. Others include Trump Grill, Trump Cafe, and Trump Bar.

While the building is open to the public, visitors first walk past automatic-weapon-toting NYPD officers stationed at the building's entrance, followed by a metal detector screening.

Trump, who officially serves as her father's assistant, did not divest from her business upon joining the president's administration. She instead placed her assets in a trust. She also have up day-to-day management of the company. And while she does not tweet about the business from her personal social media accounts, the @IvankaTrumpHQ twitter handle often posts photos of the collection.

Opening up her own store bypasses relying on department store accounts, some of which balked at carrying Trump's collection following her father's victory.

First, Nordstrom stopped carrying Ivanka Trump-branded clothing, citing declining sales, which caused shopper boycotts. Then Neiman Marcus followed suit, saying it was also dropping the line.

After Nordstrom dropped the line, President Trump jumped to his daughter's defense.

"My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom," the president tweeted February. "She is a great person -- always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!"