Lingerie boutique to join new Midland businesses – Midland Reporter
July 7, 2014 by admin
Filed under Latest Lingerie News
Cindie’s
Cindie’s, Houston-based lingerie store, begins stocking the new Midland store set to open in July. Photos by Cale Ottens
Posted: Sunday, July 6, 2014 6:33 pm
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Updated: 11:12 pm, Sun Jul 6, 2014.
Midland Reporter-Telegram
Cindie’s, a Houston-based lingerie boutique, recently grabbed the curiosity and attention of many Midlanders even though it has yet to celebrate its grand opening.
Self-proclaimed as the No. 1 store for “fantasy and fun,” Cindie’s plans to offer something new to the Tall City. The boutique chain sells lingerie, women’s shoes, costumes, make-up, jewelry, lotions, oils, gag gifts and a few sex toys.
While the company has already set itself apart from virtually every other Midland business by offering sex toys, Cindie’s still faces challenges nearly identical to most Tall City startups.
But so far, no hurtle has stopped the boutique from moving forward. It plans to open later this month inside the Colonnade at Polo Park shopping center near Garfield Street and Loop 250. Construction delays, however, have slowed down progress. In fact, the grand opening has already been pushed back from the original plan to open last month.
Melissa Luevano, a Midlander, was hired by the company earlier this year to run the Midland location and serve as the general manager.
Perks to opening in Midland
Like most new businesses that have popped up around the Tall City in recent years, Cindie’s was attracted by the robust local economy, said Angel White, a regional manager.
The company is family-owned but George Lou is the co-owner who oversees Midland’s location. And when Lou visited the area to ensure it would be a good fit to open a boutique, he found that Midland has more to offer than just a booming economy, White said during an interview last month.
“Everybody here was very friendly,” she said.
Additionally, the company noticed a lack of competitors it would encounter in this area, White said.
“You guys don’t really have anything like this here,” she said. “With the population growing, it’s a great opportunity to have a business here.”
Other local stores — such as Victoria’s Secret, Soma Intimates and Pennyrich Bra Lingerie Shop — also sell women’s lingerie, but White said Cindie’s is different because it provides everything necessary “to set your whole mood for romance… (but) not to the point of tackiness.”
The goal is to provide a pleasant atmosphere for shoppers, she said. Lingerie, role-play costumes and other clothing are offered in several sizes, from extra-small to six-extra large.
“Every woman wants to look beautiful,” White said. “We are there to help them with that.”
Men are not discouraged from shopping at the store. It’s common for husbands to purchase anniversary gifts from Cindie’s, she said.
“It’s cute when they come in,” White said. “They go home and get rewarded for a great anniversary present.”
Challenges
Luevano, though anxious for Midland’s boutique to finally open, said she feared she wouldn’t find enough workers. White, who lives in Killeen, said she would have to move to Midland to help Luevano run the store.
“When you have a help-wanted sign on every corner, people have a lot more to choose from,” White said. “Other cities are flooded with resumes but Midland wasn’t.”
Many applicants were hesitant to work for Cindie’s, she said, because they had never heard of it.
To entice enough people to join the company, Cindie’s offers higher wages in Midland than almost any other market, White said.
The cost to rent space also surprised the company. Despite Midland being only a fraction of the size of other major cities, like Houston, rental rates are just as high in the Tall City.
Typically, most would expect the cost to rival those in Killeen, for example, because the cities are roughly the same size. But that’s not the case, White said.
History
Founded exactly 20 years ago this month, Cindie’s opened its first boutique in Houston.
The family-owned operation proved to be something Texans wanted in 1994, so Cindie’s expanded almost immediately thereafter.
“In the beginning, it exploded,” White said.
Today, there are 25 stores throughout the Lone Star State, Louisiana and the Pacific Northwest.
Two locations — one in Baton Rouge and the other in Lubbock – opened last year.
Future Plans
Lou and Robert Hunter, the other co-owners, hope to keep growing the Cindie’s brand, White said.
New locations would likely be added in the general areas where Cindie’s already exists, she said. The company plans to open its first boutique in San Antonio later this month.
No other official plans are in place at this time, White said.
factbox
Business: Cindie’s
Address: 4610 N. Garfield St., Suites A4-5
Hours: 9 a.m. – midnight Monday – Saturday
11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Sundays
Grand opening: This month (no date set)
Employees: 7
General manager: Melissa Luevano
Founded: Houston, July 1994
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Sunday, July 6, 2014 6:33 pm.
Updated: 11:12 pm.
