Front Street stores cater to male shoppers

Four stores on the 700 block of Front Street are hosting a “Men’s Night Out” Christmas shopping event tonight to help guys find gifts for their wives or significant other this holiday season.
“It’s an opportunity for men to buy their wife something they wouldn’t ordinarily buy for themselves,” Wildflower Boutique owner Francis Stevens said.
The Bird’s Nest, Frame Shop, Plantation Treasures and Wildflower Boutique are the stores participating in “Men’s Night Out” from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m.
“Initially, it started out as a wish list idea for stores,” Frame Shop owner Deborah Price said. “People could come in ahead of time, browse and put your name on the wish list. ...
“Part of that kind of morphed into this ‘Men’s Night Out’ theme, catering to the guys for a change.”
“Men’s Night Out” is a private event. However, some stores will be open to women.
“We just thought we would try something different,” Price said. “We haven’t tried this before and we were looking for something different to host this year.”
Stevens is honoring the men’s only shopping event. The 20 percent discount available at the boutique only applies to male customers.
Her goal is to provide a space for men to select gifts privately in an effort to surprise the special woman in their life.
“Having a men’s night out is something that we’ve wanted to do for years and we finally collectively put it together as a group this year,” Stevens said.
“Men can go from store to store to see if their wife has a wish list or shop on their own without risk of being seen,” Stevens said.
“We’ll help them coordinate a sweater or top to go with jewelry. Even though jewelry is our No. 1 holiday seller, a lot of men want to buy them clothing to match up with the jewelry.”
Whether it’s shopping to purchase an item on a wish list or independently, the stores are “trying to do something a little bit different for a change.”
While men shop, the stores will serve different types of beer to go along with peanuts, pretzels and additional snacks.
Weeks prior to the event, a wish list was available for ladies in stores to write down possible gift items wanted for Christmas.
“Typically, a lot of guys wait until the last minute to shop right before Christmas and they’re still trying to find something,” Price said. “So we kind of thought this might help some of those people who never know really what to get.
“And we can maybe get them to do it a little bit earlier this year.”
“We have a whole line of gifts so if men were coming they could look for gifts themselves as well for some men’s products,” Bird’s Nest owner Dawn Kirkpatrick-Adams said. “But we certainly have women’s accessories, jewelry and home furnishings.”
Plantation Treasures is offering a 20 percent discount on all items storewide. The discount is available for both men and women.
“Come by Plantation Treasures to fulfill your wife’s wishes,” said Donna Adams, Manager of Plantation Treasures.
Owners are excited to see the turnout of tonight’s event.
“We’re hoping that it’ll be successful and we can build on it,” Stevens said.
Dawn Kirkpatrick-Adams (Bird’s Nest), Linda Daniel (Plantation Treasures), Francis Stevens (Wildflower Boutique), and Frame Shop (Debbie Price) are the shop owners responsible for this inaugural event.
For more information about the event’s discounts, contact the store.