Swoozie's Reopens Southeast Stores
September 03, 2010
Atlanta-based paper and gift retailer Swoozie's has reopened two stores in Atlanta and five others throughout the Southeast, despite filing bankruptcy earlier this year, according to The Atlanta-Journal Constitution. A liquidation sale in March cleared the stores of its merchandise and fixtures, and soon after, Swoozie's was auctioned off to Colorado-based private-equity firm Gart Capital. Kelly Plank-Dworkin, president of Swoozie's, has worked diligently to save the store, starting with separating the intellectual property—Swoozie's name and concept—from the bankruptcy filing. Today, many former employees have returned to work in the reopened stores. Plank-Dworkin said she used the bankruptcy as an opportunity to reconsider the layout and focus of the stores, adding wider aisles for women with strollers and emphasizing its customization services, such as on-the-spot printing. Swoozie's specializes in cards, wrapping paper, college-themed merchandise for tailgating and more.
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