Written by Kelsey Bangs
Within two months of opening, Rue 21 Assistant Manager Derek Tucker said the store is off to a great start in Searcy.The store, which opened on July 2, offers clothes for young adults. The franchise’s website said the name Rue 21 comes from the French word “Rue” which means “street,” while “21” represents the age everyone wants to be. Tucker said the majority of the store’s customers are young women, fitting into the namesake. Tucker is a 2009 Harding University graduate with a degree in fashion merchandising. While Searcy’s branch is the first Rue 21 he has worked at, he said he plans on staying with the company in the future.So why Searcy?According to Tucker, Rue 21 is refocusing from its mall-oriented atmosphere, targeting smaller cities with a larger population of people, or “bigger smaller cities” like Searcy, where the absence of a mall leaves a retail gap.Tucker said another benefit of the store’s arrival is that it receives a new shipment of clothing every day, keeping its fashions fresh.”The store is constantly changing. I usually tell people that if they are wanting to buy something a little over their price range, just come back in about a week and it will most likely be on our clearance wall,” Tucker said.Caitlin Morgan, a customer of Rue 21, said she shops there because the prices are affordable.”If I need a new outfit and I don’t have time to go to the mall I usually just run by Rue 21 because I can find something for cheap that’s cute,” Morgan said.
