Sunday, March 22, 2009
A Little Bit Hippy gets a little bit smaller
Jenny Kincaid Boone
Jenny reports on the latest news on the Roanoke Valley retail industry.
Recent stories
A Roanoke boutique's hippy garb is on the move.
In early April, A Little Bit Hippy will close the larger of its two apparel shops at Towers Shopping Center.
Owner Denise Sweeney opened the second boutique temporarily for the holiday season eight years ago. The concept stuck, and the 1,300-square-foot storefront grew into a success.
Now, Sweeney wants to shed the responsibilities of overseeing two stores and cut her costs. Her original shop at Towers, a much smaller space measuring about 500 square feet, will remain in business.
By closing the larger retail location, Sweeney will save on rent and paying an employee to run the dress store. Plus, she said, some of the apparel is not selling as swiftly as in better economic times.
Right now, all of the clothing is discounted 50 percent.
"I just want to have the simplicity of having everything under one roof again," said Sweeney, who opened A Little Bit Hippy in 1999 at Towers.
You still can shop for 1960s and 1970s garb at her smaller shop. Sweeney will relocate several racks of skirts, blouses and dresses into the store's original spot, beside Wildflour Cafe & Catering. She's largely doing away with belly dancing attire.
Her shop's staples, from tie-dyed T-shirts to incense sticks, jewelry and temporary tattoos, will remain, and sales of those items still are strong, Sweeney said. "People can afford to spend that kind of money right now," she added.
Zak's Cafe adds a bar
Downtown Roanoke eatery Zak's Cafe added a bar to its lineup this month.
The restaurant serving lunch and dinner at 128 Campbell Ave. S.W. has constructed a bar lining the wall in an L-shape in a narrow room of its establishment. A larger adjoining room is strictly for dining, but patrons can eat at the bar, said manager Courtney Campbell.
Also, Zak's recently began staying open until 10 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, the days when dinner is served there. The restaurant also is keeping its doors open in the afternoons Wednesday through Friday to allow for happy-hour celebrations.
Campbell said the addition of the bar was an attempt to expand the restaurant's focus. Zak's original operation was located in this narrow bar room before it expanded into a neighboring space in 2007 that formerly housed Studios on the Square.
New Subway to open
A new Subway restaurant is headed for a convenience store just outside Salem.
Renovations are going on inside the Hanging Rock Express Stop on Thompson Memorial Drive, near the intersection of Virginia 311 in Roanoke County, to make way for the sandwich chain.
The Subway is expected to open in the next month, said Scott Hillyard, who is regional director for Subway Development Corp. of Washington, D.C.
Connecticut-based Subway has about 30,000 locations in 87 countries.
News from the Storefront blogs.roanoke.com/rtblogs/storefront/
- Goodwill Industries will open a new Blacksburg store this summer.
- Get the details about a new gaming store open at Towers Shopping Center.
- n Plan 9 Music is closing at the end of this month, but it's still taking gift certificates and store credits.
