Shop Talk: Buying into Grand Strand retail

Inlet Square gets store, sale

Kidz Inc. indoor playground, which hosts children's birthday parties, will open it's second location on the Grand Strand in Inlet Square Mall Oct. 1 across from Ladies Choice Fitness Center.

It has a roughly 5,500-square-foot inflatable playground and toddler area and also offers drop-off care.

Also, the mall will house a consignment sale, Beach Babies Kidsale, Sept. 27 through Oct. 4 with a pre-sale for consignors and volunteers on Sept. 26.

Children's clothes from newborn to size 12 will be accepted and sold during the semi-annual sale across from Regis Hairstyles.

It will also accept and sell cribs, swings, bedding, toys, and other children's items. Consignors get 60 percent on items sold.

Consignment store debuts on S.C. 707

Elena's Boutique & Consignments has opened on S.C. 707 in the Old Salem Shoppes near St. James High School.

The store accepts and sells a variety of items including clothes, jewelry, home decor, art, purses, shoes and accessories.

Owner Raissa Kvelidze said she's been wanting to open the shop for several years, and thought now would be a good time since people are pinching their pennies and looking for bargains.

Her daughter, Elena, owns the original store in New York, she said.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday; and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.

J. Crew in, Geoffrey Beene out at Tanger

A J. Crew store is scheduled to open at the Tanger Outlet Center on U.S. 17 in late November, according to the shopping center's tenant services manager Nicole Tolbert.

The Geoffrey Beene store there will also likely see some changes, as its parent company, Phillips-Van Heusen Corp., has said it will not renew agreements to operate any of its Geoffrey Beene stores.

The retail chain was expected to be liquidated by the end of 2008, a company announcement said. Of 100 stores, 75 are to close and 25 will be converted into Calvin Klein outlet stores, a brand Phillips-Van Heusen ns.

More on tap for Market Common

The Market Common has announced more stores slated to open before the end of the year.

Rug Decor out of Earth City, Missouri; and Francesca's Collections, a Houston-based clothing, jewelry and accessories retailer, will set up shop on Reed Street.

Francesca's Collections was previously on The Market Common's list of tenants and backed out. The company decided to get back on board because "we had a few timeslots to fill for 2008 and the developer at The Market Common made us a very agressive deal to get us open this year,'' wrote the company's real estate broker Paul Makens in an e-mail.

The tentative opening date is Sept. 1, he said.

Nexsen Pruet law firm and Edward Jones Investments have also signed leases for spots in the complex's new office building, The Offices at The Market Common at 1101 Johnson Avenue.

The new 45,000 square foot building will be ready for tenants in August, said The Market Common's general manager Sue Bonin.

Other retailers on tap: Fossil jewelry and accessories store is scheduled to open in mid-August, Bonin said. Canipes Chocolates & Candies, Dolce Lusso Salon & Day Spa, and The Big Tuna specialty gifts and home decor are scheduled to open this fall.

Bonin did not have specific opening dates for those stores.

Goody's in NMB to close

Goody's in North Myrtle Beach will be one of nearly 70 stores across the country closing after the clothing chain filed for bankruptcy.

The North Myrtle Beach location will close in late July, leaving 22 employees out of work, a corporate spokeswoman said.

Goody's Family Clothing, Inc., filed for bankruptcy on June 9, and is in the process of closing 69 of its 286 stores across the country, including five in South Carolina.

Horry County still will have two Goody's: on Seaboard Street in Myrtle Beach and in the Gateway II Shopping Center on Church Street in Conway.

Steve & Barry's future uncertain

Clothing retailer Steve & Barry's, which has one store on the Grand Strand, is working with a bankruptcy firm to negotiate with its lenders and review its options as it wades through financial troubles, the Associated Press reported this week.

The chain store debuted locally as an anchor store in Inlet Square Mall in November. Although there have been reports that Steve & Barry's could shutter some of its stores, Inlet Square Mall general manager Heather Hensley said the company hasn't notified her of any changes locally.

"We haven't heard anything at our level," Hensley said. "As far as we know, it's business as usual with our Steve & Barry's."

Steve & Barry's spokeswoman Rachel Brenner declined to say what will happen to the Inlet Square Mall store, saying that the company has not made any announcements about store closings.

The company has more than 200 stores and became known in recent years for its low prices and its partnerships with celebrities. But experts say its price points along with rapid expansion likely contributed to the chain's current financial woes as the retail climate has deteriorated, according to the Associated Press.

More retailers on tap for Tanger

New stores have opened at local Tanger Outlet Centers, and more are on the way, according to company spokeswoman Nicole Tolbert.

Tango Bay recently opened at the center on U.S. 501 and sells clothes, accessories and shoes.

At the U.S. 17 center, The Foxworthy Store, Yankee Candle and a Disney Outlet Store have set up shop.

Other stores coming this summer: Love from the Carolinas will open at the U.S. 501 complex, and Under Armour Outlet, Gymboree, Ann Taylor Loft Outlet and Bijoux Terner are slated to open at the U.S. 17 complex.

Also, crews are making progress on the $20 million renovation project at the U.S. 501 center. They're building steel towers over 23 stores, and two stores will get large clock towers. There will also be five new circular fountains and two new roads, according to Tolbert.

Stores are open for business as usual during the renovations.

New Inlet Square shop: Xclusives

Locally-owned clothing shop Xclusives has opened at Inlet Square Mall, the mall announced.

The store sells men's and women's clothes and is beside the movie theater. Buster and Christina Turner of Murrells Inlet  are the owners and managers.

New Target? Too soon to say

I've gotten a few questions from readers about whether a new Target is coming to the Grand Strand.

Target spokeswoman Katie Benscoter couldn't confirm that Target will expand here, but didn't rule out the possibility either.

"We are currently exploring options in this market,"  she said. "We're looking at some opportunities, but it's premature to give more specifics."

The chain has 63 stores in the Carolinas, including one in Myrtle Beach.

New Sunset Beach shop: CuriosiTEES

The Village at Sunset Beach, a shopping and housing center in Sunset Beach, N.C., has a new tenant.

Suzanne King opened CuriosiTEES in one of the live/work townhouses there this month, where she sells T-shirts in sizes as small as baby onesies up to men's XXL.

"We originally bought the unit to invest and turn it over, and the market slowed, and we thought this is as good as a time as any to do something," King said.

King is a T-shirt lover, plus "I thought it might be nice to be my own boss," she said.

The store is at 7645-S High Market Street.

The Village is home to an 85,000 square foot shopping center, condos and live/work townhouses and a planetarium. Other tenants include Food Lion, Walgreens, Bank of America, J. Huffman gifts, The Blue Heron gifts and Pelican Book Store.