After five years, it was time to expand, so Rosy Tucker went looking for a place for her woman’s boutique, Sensibly Chic.
The store sells a combination of gently used clothing and new accessories, as well as some gift items and even some furniture and frames.
The old location at Village Center was good, Tucker said, but besides the need for space, she was also interested in visibility. So she started looking for a location along Highway 71.
She ended up next to the T.H. Rogers Lumber Co., which, she agrees, is a little unusual.
“We need to be with another retail business,” she explained. She wanted a location where people come and go, but it reallydoesn’t matter what they are coming and going for, she said.
Many of the T.H. Rogers’ customers are women, she explained, and the male customers may start to bring their wives along.
It was also helpful that the staff at T.H. Rogers renovated the new space.
“We’re all in this to help each other,” she said. Eventually the whole complex will get new life, she promised. There’s space outside that could easily become a Farmer’s Market, or a new venue for craft sales.
“The opportunity is out there,” she said.
Meanwhile, Tucker keeps her merchandise fresh. She takes clothes on consignment, but only if they’re nice. She only keeps them about 60 days. A surprising percentage of the clothes come in with tags - her customers bought them and just never got around to wearing them.
If the time is up on anitem, Tucker encourages the owner to donate it to a local charity. She works closely with Mother-to-Mother Ministry as well as a few other nonprofits.
Customer Norma Spotts not only likes the merchandise, but also the size of the shop.
“I feel right at home here,” she said, “I usually come in two or three times a week.”
Over her five years in business, Tucker has seen a change in the attitude of her customers.
At first, women were a little hesitant to wear a gently used item.
“What if the original owner sees it?” they would ask. Now, people are much more open to the economy of gently used clothes. They brag about the money they saved, she said.
Tucker introduced the lines of new accessories to bring more customers into the store, her assistant Theresa Malone said. Accessories includescarves and jewelry that complement the clothing.
“Then they put their foot over the line (to resale),” she explained.
A tradition is coming with them from the old store - Ladies Night Out. Tucker will open the store to groups of 10 or more women and provide music, refreshments and door prizes. It becomes a dress up party, she said, with lots of photo opportunities while the women try on hats and scarves. The organizer receives a discount to spend on her own wardrobe.
“They are the most fun,” Tucker promised and they’re also good for business, she added.
Women buy more when they shop together, she said.
Sensibly Chic is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 to 5 p.m. and Saturday 9:30 to 3 p.m. But Tucker said she may change her hours if the new location brings more traffic late in the day.
Business, Pages 9 on 11/07/2012