Shoes Store

Ms. Cheap: 10 bucks will get you anything in this shop

Because I work downtown, there’s one thing I always love to hear about and write about — and that is a new store with good bargains in the downtown area.

The last time I had an opportunity to write about such a thing was more than three years ago when French’s Shoes and Boots opened on Second Avenue.

But today, I have the pleasure of announcing the opening of a store called Simply the Best $10 Boutique at 176 Second Ave. N. between The Melting Pot and Hooters.

Everything in the store is $10 — handbags, sterling silver, fashion jewelry, fun rubber watches, scarves, sunglasses, hats, totes, small duffles and lots of leather — some of which still have original price tags on them of as much as $28.

Not only is it simple with the one price, but I love seeing the savings and knowing that my 10 bucks is buying something that is worth more than that.

Store owners Geff and Sandy Lee know the one-price retail drill since they are also the owners and operators of the popular HCI $6 Fundraising Sales that are held for a few days at a time in hospitals and office buildings throughout the area. Those sales offer scarves, jewelry, gloves and all sorts of other things for that one price.

“The store is a similar concept of product to our $6 events, but it allows us to upgrade the lines to even better quality in many of the categories. When I can, I am bringing in more bling,” Sandy told me, explaining that bumping up to the $10 price for the permanent store opened a significant amount of good merchandise for sale.

“We like the hunt for products that we can sell at a bargain. It is all about value,’’ Geff said, noting that the mix varies depending on what deals he can find and make with vendors.

“When you look at the cost of goods, there is a signficant cost difference in what you can sell for $6 and what you can sell for $10,” he says, which is especially true when you factor in the cost of freight.

“We have more handbags, better-quality jewelry, things we could not have sold at $6. For example, sterling. We just can’t bring it in at $6 anymore,” Sandy told me as I browsed her well-stocked 1,100-square-foot store.

Sandy said they started thinking about this last summer and were intrigued by the tourism downtown and the fact that downtown workers have such limited shopping access.

“Being downtown is fun. The tourists are fun. They are excited to be here and to be shopping. But at the same time all these workers down here have nowhere to shop,’’ Sandy said. She hopes her store will attract people downtown who need to pick up a gift or treat for a friend or for themselves.

Raw deal for 16-year-old shoe store

Is set for closure on Saturday, June 18, due to poor sales over the past few years.

The retailer, located on Sincil Street, has been open for 16 years and was previously called Marlone Shoes.

The store attempted to relocate but couldn’t find a suitable unit for them to operate effectively. The unit is owned by Lincolnshire Co-operative and there are currently no plans for a new tenant.

Raw, which is a chain across the UK, has seen a notable decline in its store numbers over the last decade.

In 1999 Raw operated 33 stores and now, after the Lincoln branch closes, there will only be four left. The remaining stores are in Plymouth, Exeter, York and Peterborough.

Simon Krivec, manager of Raw in Lincoln, said: “There is no negotiation over the rent and unfortunately we could not turnover enough profit to keep the operation going. I have worked here for 12 years and it will be sad to leave.

“Because of this recession the country is in, people just aren’t buying items like shoes as often as they used to and if they do. Plus, a lot more people look for cheaper alternatives at retailers like Primark.”

The store will be open until 3pm on June 18.

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