LEWISTON – A new women’s clothing retailer has opened on Main Street, specializing in affordable prices and serendipity.
Phoenix Clothing opened its doors last fall in the Marketplace Mall in space once occupied by a video rental store. The bright blue carpet imprinted with movie reels and popcorn boxes gives away its former occupant, but owner Sunshine Spaulding is philosophical about the whimsical flooring.
“As my mom says, Everyone who walks in here is a star.'”
Or at least treated like one.
Spaulding emphasizes customer service in her small shop. Customers are greeted warmly as they enter the store and asked if they’re looking for anything special. Floor and wall racks hold an assortment of garments from junior sizes to women’s 3x.
Brands run the gamut as well, from Liz Claiborne to Jones New York, Old Navy, Briggs and Banana Republic. But there’s little variation among the prices: Most tops are $16 or lower, skirts and pants hover at $21 and suits are about $40.
“I wanted to open a store that offered quality, name-brand clothing that women wouldn’t have to travel great distances to, and to offer them at affordable prices,” she said.
For instance, a pair of L.E.I. corduroys that sells in department stores for $35 goes for $20 at Phoenix. A $70 silk Lizsport skirt is ticketed for $21.
Spaulding studied fashion merchandising in Boston before moving to Phoenix, where she lived for seven years. She returned to her hometown last year to pursue a dream: opening her own women’s clothing shop.
A lifestyle for some
“In Phoenix, shopping is a lifestyle,” she said. “Here, there just aren’t a lot of choices.”
Spaulding gets her stock from online wholesalers and catalog companies. The bulk shipments arrive every month, ensuring a constantly changing inventory.
Because the orders are made in bulk, Spaulding is never sure exactly what will arrive.
“It’s like Christmas,” she said of her deliveries.
And that’s where serendipity and customer service come together. Typically a shipment will arrive with dozens of items, but often there are just one or two of any particular style. For instance two, long suede skirts that were originally each marked at $111 were for sale Friday for $21, but only in size 6.
Spaulding increases the chances that her customers will find appropriate clothes by knowing her inventory and steering customers to the items they like. She’s targeting the 25- to 45-year-old set with clothes that “are fashionable but not so trendy or young that you can’t wear them comfortably.”
She will set things aside for customers who have specific requests, and she e-mails others with details about new arrivals. Spaulding loves the challenge of a customer saying she wants to find something different.
“I tell them, OK, go into the fitting room and I’ll bring you all kinds of things,'” Spaulding said. “That’s so much fun.”
She keeps a magazine rack on display to give customers ideas on how to accessorize an outfit, or to show how a certain cut flatters a particular body type. Spaulding is thrilled that more feminine clothes are making a comeback and that dressing up is gaining appeal.
On one wall is a photo of her grandmother, striking a pose on a dock in a very fashionable bathing suit. Spaulding says her memere is a source of inspiration.
“You didn’t leave the house without your makeup on, your hair done and looking nice,” she said. “I guess it’s from her that I get this passion.”
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