The Montgomery Advertiser from Montgomery, Alabama • 42

The Achertiser PAGE 4F THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24,1992 Supporting Cast Sma Merchants, Like Chick-fil-A, Vital F-z EV "T1- i 0 ins Vis i'. '-y-i v1 Eastdale Mail's success during its first 15 years can be credited to a lot of good merchants. The major department stores always play the lead role, but 1 there are dozens of national and regional specialty shops and services, and a handful of local operators who make up a very important supporting cast. Chick-fil-A, headquartered in Atlanta, is one of the nation's most successful fast-food chains with roughly 480 franchises across the land. The franchises don't come cheap and the company is very selective about who gets them.

That's why so few of them fail. At Eastdale Mall, owneroperator Jeff Vines is an excellent example of the Chick-fil-A philosophy. He opened his first and only store with the mall grand opening in 1977, retiring from a successful 20-year career to become an entrepreneur. And he's been one of the most visible and most active merchants in the mall. He's president of the Eastdale Mall Merchants Association, a position to which he's been elected by his fellow merchants most of his 15 years.

In that role, he's been a strong supporter of marketing activities and an ardent spokesman for the center. "The landlord (Aronov Realty of Montgomery) has done a super job in keeping the family atmosphere and continually improving the tenant mix," Vines said. "The mall renovation in 1988 was a big thing and the food court a year later was a great addition. Even with all the new strip centers and the additional retail and considering the state of the economy Eastdale Mall, overall, has done real well," Vines added. Jeff had spent his 20 years with all over the Southeast.

A native of Hueytown and an Alabama alumnus, he was a technician in Birmingham, in the engineering department in Atlanta, an operations supervisor in New Orleans, back to Atlanta as an employment supervisor and data systems coordinator, and finally in Miami as sales manager. His decision to retire and buy a Chick-fil-A franchise was a "relative" thing, so to speak. Brother in-law Morris Jackson owned the Brookwood Mall franchise in Birmingham (and still does). "He kept calling me about the company. Finally, he called and said, 'I'm not going to bother you any more but there's a new mall opening in Jeff took the plunge.

It's now almost a family tradition. Nephew Woody Woodham owns the Montgomery Mall franchise and son-in-law Gary Soriano will be opening a free-standing unit Nov. 5 at The Promenade. Vines' Eastdale store also is a family affair, with his wife, Evelyn, and son, Jace, contributing to its success. Chick-fil-A always has been famous for its boneless chicken breast sandwiches, which still represent 40 percent of Vines' business, but they've added other menu items, two of the most popular being chicken Bookland Manager Ann Jennings wore her apron to promote a recent sale on cook books Pick A Category And Bookland Has It Jeff Vines, Chick-fil-A owner, also serves as president of the Merchants Association stattrhotoBri didn't feel they needed the food court.

Jeff admits he wasn't ex- a cited about the prospect at the time but he's happy now as sales figures exceed what he did at the, previous location. HJ.WABD nuggets and char-grilled chicken sandwiches. His store occupies the corner location at Eastdale Mall as you enter the food court, where he moved in April of 1990. Chick-fil-A, as a company, had resisted relocation in food courts because they had their own seating and Parisian: Quality, Fair Price, Personal Service "I love to read and I always wanted to work in a bookstore." That's how Ann Jennings, manager of Bookland at Eastdale Mall, explains her career change in December of 1990 from selling auto parts to selling books. It's apparent, as she describes the store's merchandise, that she made the right decision.

Book-land is a regional book chain out of Birmingham with some 100 locations throughout the Southeast. It opened in Eastdale just a few weeks before Ann joined the team. It's the traditional bookstore. Paperbacks cover one side wall, magazines are on the back waU. and hardcover books in just about every category are neatly stacked throughout with bestsellers and new releases occupying the aisles as you enter this "candy store" for book lovers.

Books on tape also are available. Pick a subject and Bookland probably will have it. If they don't, they can check the company's inventory and get it for you in a few days. Or they can order it from the publisher. Topics available include sportsfitness, business, history, opened its second store at Montgomery Mall which initially affected Eastdale sales.

"We're up this year over 1991 and this was one of Parisian's top stores last year," he said. "Montgomery has been a very good market for Parisian and Eastdale an outstanding location," he added. Weigel, a native of Iowa and graduate of the University of Iowa where he majored in finance, has been in retail since 1980. He made the choice be cause "retail is a people busi- ness." He was with Gimbel's in "-Milwaukee before joining Pari- sian six years ago. After serving as assistant manager at three Birmingham stores, he was awarded the Eastdale store as his first management assignment.

Parisian occupies an upscale vr position among department stores. growth is the result of good value. We address the quality issue with clothing at all price points," he said. ing expanded into Florida with stores in Tallahassee, Pensacola and Sarasota, and just a month ago moving into the Atlanta market with the first of three stores. It also has a store in Columbia, S.C., and another in Cincinnati, among its 24 retail operations, with plans to enter several other markets.

Wes Weigel, manager of the Eastdale Parisian store since May of 1989, is pleased with sales results during his tenure, considering the fact that the company NAT i 1 Stall Photo Bf BILL WARD travel, fiction, regional authors, computers, children, autos, home repairs and many more. Related merchandise includes collector items such as baseball cards, stamp albums and comic books. You'll also find classical music tapes and CDs. Even those cute little doll-like figures called Trolls are a popular item. Bookland also publishes a monthly newspaper, free at the checkout counter, which lists and reviews new releases.

Typically, according to Ms. Jennings, hardcover books sell fastest during the Christmas season and paperbacks are popular in the summer as customers buy them for traveling, or to take to the beach. At the moment, a big seller is the new book by national talk show celebrity Rush Limbaugh, "The Way Things Ought To Be." Limbaugh, an arch-conservative, has been promoting it on his daily radio show and the first 25 copies were gone quickly. Ms. Williams has since reordered and it's still selling fast.

specialty departments featuring Nintendo Entertainment Systems, Sega Genesis, Batman, Trolls, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Barbie. Kay-Bee stores guarantee merchandise satisfaction and are staffed by knowledgeable and I- tt( '3itfi tiHJ- A i i I JSUS Quality merchandise, fair pricing and personal service are hallmarks of Parisian and that combination has made the family-owned Birmingham-based company one of the nation's leading department store chains. Montgomery families have enjoyed the Parisian philosophy for the past 15 years since the company opened its Eastdale Mall store in August of 1977 as a part of the mall's grand opening. Now the Parisian name is becoming a household word throughout the Southeast, hav well-trained sales associates. Customer services include personal check cashing (with identification), gift certificates, acceptance of major credit cards and cash refund or charge credit with a sales receipt.

Kay-Bee Toys Packs 3,000 Items RALIZER 13 imi Ui'i'ililil'i3 VL La A With prices like these on some of your favorite Naturalizer styles, you'll no time now to buy the comfort and style of Naturalizer! HADE If USA I Our Classic Best-Seller! ROYAL If you're a kid or just a kid 1 at heart it's tough to pass the Kay-Bee Toy Store in Eastdale Mall without a mouth-watering desire to enter this wonderland of fun and games. if It's one of 1,300 such stores across America, a part of the nation's second-largest specialty toy retailer based in Pittsfield, Mass. Inside you'll discover the hottest toys, games and video games among some 3,000 items that include action figures, board games, construction toys, children's books and tapes, activity sets and toys, pre-school toys, plush animals, dolls, electronic games, musical toys, models and vehicles, collectibles and role-play items. The company was founded in 1922 as Kaufman Brothers, a family-owned candy business, hence the Kay-Bee name. It branched into toy sales in 1945 and began locating its stores in malls in 1973.

Other retail divisions include Circus World, Toy Works and Toys. In 1981, it became a division of Melville which also includes Mar-snails, CVS, Chess King, Wilson's and Thorn McAn retail divisions. The local Kay-Bee store, managed by Drusilla Grant, includes Olympia Joins In Celebration Olympia Sporting Goods, locally owned and operated, is celebrating its 15th birthday along with Eastdale Mall. The store features a broad selection of athletic shoes, T-shirts, sports wear and other sports equipment. It also carries merchandise licensed by professional and college sports teams.

"We have a good selection of warm-up suits and things like sweat pants and shirts that people seem to like to give as gifts during the holidays," a store representative said. Athletic shoe choices at Olympia include top brands such as Reebok, Nike and Avia. Logo merchandise, college and professional, consists of T-shirts, caps, sweat shirts and jackets. Athletes needing temporary support for ankle, knee or elbow can find soft athletic braces at Olympia. Other merchandise includes tennis, baseball, softball and fitness equipment as well as exercise equipment, weights and weight-lifting equipment.

In Red, Navy, Taupe, Black Shiny, Black Smooth, White 1 i 6'i 1 714 Available in all colors, PHONE ORDERS ACCEPTED MADE NATURALIZER NETWORK the shoes you want the size you need at this store or at your door. GUARANTEED! MONTGOMERY MALL 281-8719 9 10 10H 11 12 EASTDALE MALL 277-6411 if nmri.