WORTHINGTON --- After only a few months, the racks at Smart Savings are filled with clothing, and the shelves display a variety of other products.
And they're just getting started.
"We want to get into products that people need daily, like toilet paper, soap," explained Juan Alvarez, one of the owners of the discount store. "We try to have a little bit of everything."
Alvarez said he hopes to expand the shop's offerings, eventually fixing up the basement and selling clothes there, while the first floor will showcase other products.
He decided to keep it all in the family when developing Smart Savings, which opened officially March 28.
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"We've been here a long time, 18 years in Worthington. Although we always had a desire to open a business, we were never able to. So we got together with our in-laws to buy this location," he said.
Alvarez owns and manages the store, along with his wife, Maria, brother-in-law Jose Soto and Jose's wife Maria.
Jose said the family business has worked out well.
"We help each other. We work together," he said. "They say that there's strength in numbers."
The downtown business offers everything from toothbrushes to pacifiers, with bags, accessories and shoes rounding out the list. But the main stock is a variety of new and used men's and women's clothing
Alvarez takes pride in offering quality clothing at economical prices.
"Here we don't sell anything in disrepair," he said. "We make sure what we buy is in good condition."
The owners buy most of their new clothing from California, while the used fashions come from other locations, including Chicago.
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Though the owners are all from Mexico, Alvarez said they've been fortunate to have a diverse clientele and a steady stream of business since they opened.
"We've been at an intermediate level (of business)," he said. He expects to grow the downtown shop's sales by offering more products and expanding their client base.
"We'd like to get people from outside of Worthington," he said.
Smart Savings is located at 427 10th Street. Phone 329-0198.
