For the first time since the store was established in the 1980s, J. Michael Shoes opened its doors to customers away from its Marshall Street location.

On Monday, the retailer began operating out of its temporary space next to Follett’s Orange Bookstore in Marshall Square Mall. Due to a January water main break, J. Michael’s Marshall Street location will be closed for two to three months while repairs are made.

‘The best part of having this space is the chance to be open again,’ said Jim Hicks, store manager of J. Michael.

A handful of customers trickled in and out of the store Monday, Hicks said. The store was stocked with racks of new tops and dresses, and staff members were busy unloading an afternoon shipment of Hunter boots.

The temporary location is a third the size of the store’s original space, and the stock room area is separated from the floor space by shelves and dividers. Hours at the new location will be the same as those of its original location, ranging from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday through Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. But Hicks said he does not anticipate to see the same kind of weekend traffic the store had on Marshall Street. With Follett’s closed, Marshall Square Mall is quiet on Saturdays, he said.

‘It’s not the same as Marshall Street,’ Hicks said.

The staff has been working nonstop for the past few weeks, going through inventory, fixing shelving and preparing for the move, Hicks said.

Space issues and damaged inventory have led store operators to make stock changes. North Face down jackets are currently on sale at half price, Hicks said, and the So Low pants are also on sale.

The store has always tried to keep up with fashion trends, and the move is another reason for J. Michael to update its inventory and make room for spring fashion, Hicks said. Because the new location lacks the room, the store managers have decided to stop selling Vera Bradley products permanently.

There is still some ‘fine tuning’ that needs to happen at the temporary location, such as setting up a fitting room, but so far J. Michael is off to a good start, owner John Vavalo said.

When the store was closed, Vavalo said he felt bad for his customers, many of whom are Syracuse University students. Though he wishes there were more room, Vavalo said he is glad to have the temporary space.

‘It’s fun. It looks cute,’ Vavalo said.

Ahra Kim, a junior modern foreign languages and political science major, was in the store Monday afternoon to buy a pair of shoes for her sister’s birthday. Kim said she is not a frequent J. Michael customer but would run into the store when she needed to make a quick purchase.

The temporary location was ‘more cramped’ than J. Michael’s original space, Kim said, but it still had a wide range of products.

‘They still have the same things they had before, it’s just different,’ Kim said.

Customers have been surprised to see the store up and running so soon after the water main break, said Victoria Huish, who has been a J. Michael employee for two years.

She said she would like to see J. Michael back in its original location, better than it was before. Until then, she said, even though the temporary location may be small, it’s cozy.

‘It’s still the same vibe,’ Huish said. ‘We’re still having fun.’

dkmcbrid@syr.edu

 

 

 

Published on February 6, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Dara: dkmcbrid@syr.edu | @daramcbride