The continuing growth of Ole Miss and Oxford has left local boutiques searching for convenient locations off the popular downtown Square that still bring foot traffic into their stores.
Francesca’s and The Ivory Closet are two new boutiques beside one another in the new Highland Court Shopping Center off Jackson Avenue. They both opened fall 2016.
Sarah Ciarloni, a sales associate at Francesca’s, said it works out well being next to The Ivory Closet because the stores complement each other.
“It’s definitely different not having the foot traffic from the Square because people are usually going from shop to shop,” Ciarloni said. “But I think that more or less, people come here because of the prices versus the Square.”
Francesca’s is a clothing chain with stores across the country. Ciarloni said this helps the Oxford location because a lot of the customers specifically come in to Francesca’s having already shopped at one of their other locations before.
“People who are familiar with Francesca’s know our prices will be cheaper than what they would find at shops on the Square,” Ciarloni said.
Journalism major Taylor Lewis said she shops at Francesca’s since it is open later than most of the shops on the Square.
Next door, The Ivory Closet is a local boutique with other locations in Southaven and Memphis.
They don’t have the name recognition like Francesca’s, but according to Allison Lee, a sales associate at The Ivory Closet, being off the Square has been good for business.
“Our location is not as busy, and there’s better parking,” Lee said. “The shopping center is also starting to grow, and we’ve got some good stores coming in around us.”
Journalism major Anna Gibbs said she often shops at these stores off the Square because of the lower prices.
“Sometimes I go to the Square and find something that I like, and then I will go to Francesca’s or The Ivory Closet and find something similar but for a better price,” Gibbs said. “I also feel like this way I’m not necessarily getting something that everyone else has.”
Kaleidoscope, another local Oxford boutique, has been in Oxford since 1996. It was originally located on the Square but has since moved to the Oxford Galleria Shopping Center off Jackson Avenue.
“When we first moved off the Square, I thought we were going to lose business, but we didn’t,” Angel Webb, Kaleidoscope owner, said. “We don’t get the Saturday football traffic, but right now we are the only store in town that carries Free People, so people will come search us out for that.”
Webb also said parking is an advantage to locations not on the Square, especially as the price for parking on the Square continues to rise.
“Francesca’s even has signs that read ‘Francesca’s customer parking only,’ so if you park there it also makes you feel like you have to go inside,” Gibbs said.
“The Square is famous,” Webb said. “You’re definitely going to get more foot traffic on the Square, but I think off the Square people are going to intentionally come and see you.”
