Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 9, 1995 TAG: 9503110011
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHARLES STEBBINS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"This is a nice and interesting place," said Roger Talmadge, manager of the store at 2141 Dale Ave. S.E. "We've gone to great lengths to make this nice, and I think it really looks sharp."
Talmadge said the boutique carries not only clothing for adults and children but also household furnishings, jewelry and collectors' items. Included in the boutique, Talmadge said, are several pieces of antique furniture worth up to $1,500 each.
Like the rest of the store, Talmadge said, the boutique depends upon donations, but he is confident of getting enough upscale merchandise to keep the boutique stocked.
Space for the boutique was carved from the general store's warehouse space. About 1,800 square feet of warehouse space was walled off from the remainder of the store and refurbished to give it an elegant atmosphere, he said.
"The boutique looks completely different from the rest of the store," he said.
The boutique, which officially opened on Feb. 18, is open only on Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hours may be expanded later.
The cost for creating the boutique, Talmadge said, was about $3,500 to $4,000, which he said was a bargain price because DAV personnel did most of the work themselves.
Talmadge, who also is a regional manager of DAV thrift stores in Western Virginia, said the DAV store in Lynchburg also has a boutique; and stores in Danville, Richmond and Colonial Heights are in the process of developing them.
The other DAV store in the Roanoke area, in Salem across from the Virginia Veterans Care Center, does not have a boutique.
by CNB