Hickey Freeman is moving its outlet store from North Clinton to East Broad and South Union streets, along the former Inner Loop.
The new store is expected to open in the next couple of weeks.
The move is necessary because Hickey Freeman’s headquarters and production facility is getting redeveloped. The company didn’t need all four floors anymore, and sold it to developer Home Leasing.
Plans are to consolidate the clothier’s operations and convert the rest of the North Clinton building to affordable apartments for seniors. As for the factory outlet, Hickey Freeman CEO Stephen Granovsky says the downtown move – to a building also owned by Home Leasing – could be for the long-term.
“We're gonna test it and see how that location performs,” Granovsky said. “We have big aspirations for it. So I would not be surprised if it was permanent but that's a decision to be to be made down the road.”
Some of those aspirations are to expand the store’s offerings.
“It'll be an expanded assortment,” Granovsky said. “And so we'll be able to offer more in different variations of product and equally importantly we're going to offer made-to-measure clothing out of that store, custom clothing.”
