DIFFERENT NAME, SAME AIM; WISEBUYS SOON WILL OPEN IN OLD AMES STORE IN PULASKI.(Local)
From: The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY) Date: March 14, 2004
Byline: Jennifer Perrault Contributing Writer
Faye Bartley, of Canton, was among those who went into shopping withdrawal two years ago after the Ames department store closed in her community.
The Ames in University Plaza was among 327 stores the Connecticut-based retail chain shuttered after it failed to emerge successfully from bankruptcy protection.
But Bartley is shopping again these days in her old Ames digs.
A new, small chain that hopes to eventually have 30 or more discount stores across the state opened its first in Canton in September.
WiseBuys has a feel similar to Ames, as well as a lot of familiar faces. Many of the new store's employees used to work at the former Ames in Canton.
"The nearest mall is in Massena, about 45 minutes away," Bartley said on a recent shopping trip to the store. "WiseBuys is only five minutes from home."
Residents in northern Oswego County will soon find the same convenience and familiar shopping feel closer to their home, too. WiseBuys will open its third store soon in the former Ames in Pulaski.
Company President Joseph LaChausse said last week that the new store, expected to open this month or early in April, will be the biggest and best so far.
"WiseBuys is looking forward to serving Pulaski and the surrounding communities," LaChausse said. "We think that this will far exceed people's expectations."
The WiseBuys chain is owned by LaChausse, his wife, Amy, and two other business associates, Tom Scozzafava and his sister, state Assemblywoman Dierdre Scozzafava.
Dierdre Scozzafava is a Republican from Gouverneur, where the second WiseBuys opened last fall. Her district includes the Oswego County towns of Boylston, Orwell and Sandy Creek.
LaChausse said the company was founded to replace the many Ames locations that have been sitting empty since Ames went out of business. WiseBuys founders used many programs and business plans from the former chain as a foundation for their company, and customers will notice the similarities.
Many of the faces that people see when they walk into the new Pulaski store at 3779 state Route 13 will be familiar.
Jim Phillips, manager at the Pulaski WiseBuys, was a manager at the Ames in the village for more than 20 years, LaChausse said. Several other employees also will be back from the old Ames.
Like its predecessors, the stores focus on bringing low prices and good selection to customers. WiseBuys also offers a similar senior citizen discount program, which it calls "55-Wise," in which those 55 and older receive a 10 percent discount on Tuesdays.
Shoppers at WiseBuys also can expect some changes. For one, Payless ShoeSource operates in WiseBuys stores as a store within a store.
"The Payless ShoeSource within WiseBuys still operates separately from the rest of the store, with the same sales and promotions as the rest of the national chain," LaChausse said.
The selection of products also is somewhat different at WiseBuys. LaChausse likens the store to T.J. Maxx in product selection.
Some Ames employees working for WiseBuys said they also notice differences. Mollie Field, an employee at the Canton WiseBuys, had worked at the Ames store there for 13 years before it closed.
"I think the setup of WiseBuys is more customer-friendly," Field said. "The products are more geared toward Canton shoppers."
That's part of the plan, LaChausse said.
"Since we are not a national chain, we can tailor to each community's specific needs," he said.
Over the holidays, for example, the Canton stores sold North Country gift baskets, made up of products all from the northern counties of the state. The Canton store also sells locally produced maple syrup. And stores will often sell products made by local bakeries.
Types of products sold are also community-specific. In Canton, there were T-shirts for local high school and college teams to buy. In a community like Pulaski, where hunting and fishing are popular, sections that deal with related items will tend to be larger to give customers more choice.
Along with community-oriented products, WiseBuys also sells clothing for men, women and children, sportswear, stereo and TV equipment, home fashions, crafts, appliances, sporting goods, toys, convenience hardware, groceries and more.
Clothing and home fashions are very up-to-date, LaChausse said. Popular styles include shirts with astrological signs or a girl's first initial and also brand names like Nike, Eddie Bauer and Hanes.
The Pulaski store is about 60,000 square feet, compared to 40,000 square feet in Canton and 55,000 square feet in Gouverneur.
Extra space in Pulaski will allow for an entire fabric section, plus expanded pet supplies and more sporting goods.
LaChausse said the store is coming along great. Workers have been there daily, putting in new carpeting and stocking inventory.
"We're right on target," he said, estimating that 55 employees will work in the Pulaski store once it opens.
Public response to the new store in Canton has been good so far, according to employees. Erin Tria said customers have kept it busy since its September opening.
"They seem to like it as much as, if not better than, the former Ames store. Many people have commented on better clothes prices," Tria said.
Mayor Robert Wells, of Canton, said he is very pleased to have WiseBuys in the village.
"When Ames left, the bottom fell out, since it was the anchor store of University Plaza," Wells said. "WiseBuys seems to have created a magnet to bring business back to the area, as other stores are now filling in the plaza. We see more cars in the parking lot all the time."
CAPTION(S):
PHOTO
Gloria Wright/Staff photographer
SOPHIA FREIRERANGEL puts pajamas on clothes hangers Thursday inside the new WiseBuys store in Pulaski. The store, in the former Ames, is expected to open later this month or early in April. Color.
PHOTO
Stephen D. Cannerelli/Staff photographer
THOMAS SCOZZAFAVA (left) and Joseph LaChausse are co-owners of the WiseBuys stores in the North Country. They are pictured in front of their store in Gouverneur. Color.
MAP: Goodbye Ames, hello WiseBuys. The Post-Standard. Color.
