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Store moving online
(News & Observer, The (Raleigh, NC) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) May 27--It's become fairly common for startup retailers to take a test run by selling products online through a Web site before committing to the expense and time of opening a store.
But Tatyana Sharoubim is going the opposite way. She was the proprietor of T. Georgiano's shoe store in Raleigh's North Hills, which closed at the end of April. But she isn't out of business.
Sharoubim plans to continue selling shoes exclusively through her Web site.
"It's a bittersweet thing because it's sad to lose the personal intimacy," she said. "But the customer service is the same and it cuts overhead. ... Now I can do it from anywhere in the world."
The business was well-known in the Triangle, founded as simply Georgiano's in 1985 by Sharoubim's father, Makram. Tatyana added the T when she inherited the store, which has bounced between the original North Hills Mall, Cameron Village and then back to the revamped North Hills last year.
The company's Web site (www.tgeorgianos.com) will be active in mid-June. Until then people can sign up for a mailing list there.
Though the move may seem illogical, interest in buying apparel online is growing. In its 2006 State of Online Retailing report released Tuesday, Shop.org reports that online sales of apparel, accessories and footwear have grown from $5.6 billion in 2002 to an expected $13.8 billion this year.
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In Cary, Carolina Ale House proprietor Lou Moshakos is renovating the former Houlihan's on Walnut Street near Crossroads Plaza. But it won't be another Ale House. Instead, he is developing a new idea, a steak and seafood place called Bentley's. It will open this fall.
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Also in Cary, Manyun and Shihyang Hsu opened a fresh seafood market in Chatham Square at the corner of Southeast Maynard Road and East Chatham Street. The Sea Depot sells seafood from the North Carolina coast as well as other regions of the country.
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At Triangle Town Center in North Raleigh, S&K Menswear will open next to California Pizza Kitchen in September; Reed's Jewelers will open downstairs near Saks in August.
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At the Cotton Co. at 306 S. White St. in Wake Forest: Swasdee Malee gallery is open, selling crafts from Thailand; artist Dick Larsen opened a studio; and This & That boutique is moving to a new location inside the market.
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Other items: The Overhead Door Co., which specializes in garage doors, has a new showroom at 8817 Westgate Park Drive in Raleigh. ... Kerr Drug opened at 1812 Holloway St. in Durham last week. ... In Leesville Towne Center, near Leesville and Strickland roads in Raleigh, a Cingular store is now open. ... In Tarrymore Square off Capital Boulevard in Raleigh, Inflight International Hair has new owners and is now Enline Hair Studio.
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