A new sneaker boutique is opening for business later this week on West Main Street, complete with a spacious showroom featuring a variety of shoes from all the major brands – as well as some that are more difficult to find.
Kix and Stylz sneaker boutique will sell both athletic and fashion sneakers, as well as some clothing, according to owner Bobby Marks. It is located in the building that formerly housed the Hamptons Furniture Company, which Marks’ family owned and operated for more than 55 years.
“We’re very, very happy to finally be launching,” Marks said in an interview at the shop today.
Marks has been out of the retail industry for about seven years, but he said he was inspired to open a sneaker boutique after watching his son and daughter, who are both now in college, develop their own growing collections of fashionable sneakers.
“It’s a retail sector that was not being affected by any of the economy crunch, or the weather, or by anything, really,” Marks said. “It doesn’t seem to have a ceiling. So I wanted in.”
So about three years ago, Marks started doing some serious research into the industry. “We talked to people, we went and looked at as many boutiques as we possibly could, we watched videos and read tutorials,” he said. “We really saturated ourselves in the business before we decided to open.”
The building renovation and the stylish, 2,800 square foot showroom were completed about a year ago. Marks has spent the past 12 months lining up vendors and getting everything ready to go.
“We have a little over half the goods that we’re expecting to have, so it’s time to launch,” he said.
The boutique will officially open its doors on Thursday.
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