AUBURN – Shoppers stepping into what used to be the Dexter Factory Outlet Store on Center Street are in for a surprise.

The store now has a new look, a new name and much more than Dexter shoes. The former Maine-based shoe chain has joined with a sister corporation, Super Shoes, assuming its name and larger inventory.

“Consumers want a choice,” said Victor Holler, spokesman for Super Shoes. “They want quality brands, but different quality brands.”

The new store carries all the expected lines of Dexter shoes, but also 40 other brands such as Reebok, Keds, New Balance and Skechers. The inventory now offers athletic shoes and sneakers, sandals, work boots and even accessories such as purses. It also offers select, high-quality work clothes for medical professionals, and Carhartt and Columbia work and casual wear.

“Customer response has been going very well,” said Patrick Donaghy, an employee of the new store. “Some people still expect to see the Dexter shoe outlet, but we don’t have seconds anymore … especially with 90 percent of shoes being made out of the country these days.”

The conversion has been in the works for two years said Holler, in part a response to disappointing performances by Dexter.

“The business model for single-brand stores in general is not performing,” said Holler. Both Dexter and Super Stores are subsidiaries of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Holler said the decision to carry medical attire grew from an affiliation with a sister company in Maryland that had a large inventory of nurses’ clothing and from the continued growth of that industry.

“The medical field is really growing as far as the employment area,” he said. “We see this as an area of growth for us.”

Donaghy said the local conversion to Super Shoes is about 90 percent complete. An open house is planned for June 18 and 19, and the store will be hosting marketing events, such as a Ladies Night Out in the future.

There are 54 Super Stores nationally, mostly along the East Coast. Thirty-three Dexter stores throughout New England and New York made the change.

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