About
At the corner of College Avenue and Clayton Street in charming downtown Athens lies one of the college town's most distinguished shopping destinations, Heery's Clothes Closet. Outlined with a delicate, green awning and painted with a colorful array of designer dresses, purses, and shoes, the striking wrap-around storefront can entice even the most reluctant window-shoppers. Inside, women of all ages can browse through a wide selection of clothing, shoes, handbags, and jewelry from such high-end labels as BCBG Max Azria, Laundry, Tory Burch, Diane von Furstenberg, Tracy Reese, Plenty, Milly, Nicole Miller, Nanette Lepore, M Missoni, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Vivienne Tam, Joie, Trina Turk, Rebecca Taylor, Cole Haan, Michael by Michael Kors, Tibi and Vera Bradley. New lines for this season include Theory, Frye, Juicy Couture, and Stuart Weitzman. This trendy but classically preppy boutique will no doubt have customers wanting to spend more time and money than planned in this high fashion haven.
Heery's Clothes Closet was founded in 1959 by Jim Heery, father of the current owner Rusty Heery. The store has been a hot-spot for fashion lovers since it opened but moved to its more prominent corner location twenty years ago. Rusty believes that what makes Heery's so uniquely popular is the fact that it is one of the only stores that successfully sells to mothers as well as their daughters. "When you walk into the store and look to the right, you will see mothers shopping in the more sophisticated designs section," he said. "Look to the left, however, and you will find their daughters browsing through the younger trends."
Rusty also owns Heery's Too!, which is located a few doors down from Heery's on Clayton Street, as well as IV Seasons in Five Points. Heery's Too! carries a variety of home goods as well as children's clothing. IV Seasons carries clothing for the more mature customer, targeting women ages thirty and up. Rusty believes that his secret to success lies in his customer-oriented business philosophy. "Customer service is very important to us," he said. "We treat everyone who walks in our doors equally and try to accommodate their needs in the best way we can." This friendly and helpful environment is what keeps women, young and old, coming back to these trendy Athens establishments.
