Boyana Peeva
VALDOSTA — Renee Fashions and Gift Market has expanded its business by letting gift shop vendors expose and sell their items at the store.
The store has been in business in Valdosta for 42 years and keeps expanding and remaining current with trends and customer needs.
Renee Fashions and Gift Market is owned by Gaile and Mike Williams, a husband and wife duo, and Jerry Williams, Gaile’s brother-in-law.
Recently, while on their way to Atlanta’s market, Gaile and Mike Williams thought it would be great if they could add some gift items to the women’s clothing and accessories they already offered. The duo thought it would be even better if they could do it before the holiday season so customers could have more options while looking for presents and gifts. They then came up with a win-win plan that would save time and money and would help other businesses as well.
“Instead of us trying to buy gift items for the store, why don’t we consider letting gift businesses rent some amount of space like the French market idea,” Gaile Williams said, recalling the plan. “... because they already knew what they were doing and they had the inventory ... and it’s an easy thing to do and include new things in the store.”
Unlike the typical French market, however, Renee Fashions “includes some specialty gift shops from the area,” she added.
She knew the owners of The Tin Bucket gift shop in Hahira and they were happy to rent some of the space at Renee Fashions and get some exposure in Valdosta.
They set up their booth with everything from baby gifts and Christmas items to a selection of candles, metallic totes, Paula Deen products and Wind Willow dips, soups, and more.
As they learned about the proposed expansion, a number of customers became excited about Renee Fashions carrying gifts and suggested to Gaile that she consider Feathering The Nest. Before long, Feathering The Nest was represented inside Renee Fashions as well, offering home accessories “with a natural nesting theme,” said Gaile Williams, along with silk arrangements, plaques, bird nests, coasters, lamps and candles.
A third vendor set up a booth in the store as well — Azalea Interiors. They carry home decor items, customized window treatments and bedding and home decorating service by Laura Neck.
Renee Fashions’ owners plan to allow a few more vendors to rent space in the near future.
From the beginning of September until last week, the plan about a gift market was accomplished by both Renee Fashions’ owners and vendors with lots of enthusiasm and creativity.
Jerry Williams also helped by adapting Renee Fashions’ software, which he wrote himself, to include the gift vendors’ stock-keeping units in the system.
“In the few weeks since we started, customers have come in to shop for clothes but often have left with a gift item. Also, in the future, I see people stopping by to shop for a gift and leaving with a jacket or a dress that caught their eye,” Gaile Williams said.
She noted that although they added the gift market, 80 to 85 percent of the store is still Renee Fashions apparel and accessories. The women’s clothes vary in sizes from two to 16 and include dresses, skirts, pants, jeans, jackets, day-wear and church-appropriate outfits. In addition, Williams carries hand-made jewelry, belts, purses and more.
“We go to Atlanta five times a year and about three times a year to New York to buy clothing,” Gaile Williams said.
To update customers, they regularly send out e-mails with information about new additions and discount coupons.
“We are always promoting and having discounts,” she noted.
However, the owners of Renee Fashions believe that the key to any successful business is customer service. They make sure customers remain well-informed about the items available so they can easily figure out what is best for them.
Free gift-wrapping is available as well.
Renee Fashions and Gift Market is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It is located at 2002 W. Gordon St., behind Greek Row & Alpha Embroidery on Baytree Road. To learn more, call (229) 244-6801.
