After a deal to sell the business fell through, Tammy Kaye Hearn has found a new home for Bright Star Scrubs and Uniforms.
Bright Star has teamed up with another local small business, relocating to retail space inside B’s Creative Studio at 1333 Wabash Ave.
The scrubs and uniforms retailer previously was just down the street at 2205 Wabash Ave., where it had leased space for the past decade. But after the building was sold and the new owner raised the rent “a lot,” Hearn said she knew staying in that space wasn’t sustainable, so she began looking for other options. She was moving forward with a plan to sell Bright Star, but the buyer backed out at the last minute, leaving Hearn scrambling.
“So I put out a post letting the community know we were kind of in a pickle and asking if any other small businesses were needing to right size or maybe had more space than they necessarily needed,” Hearn said.
Enter Brandy and Jason Fletcher, owners of B’s Creative Studio, which offers art classes and events and operates a boutique featuring items from local artisans. Bright Star has turned what formerly was additional classroom space at B’s Creative into its new retail space.
At 700 square feet, the new space is about half of what Bright Star had at its previous location. But Hearn said she considers the move to be more of a rightsizing than a downsizing.
“We are really focusing on the items that are our best sellers and getting rid of some of the ancillary, residual pieces we ended up with over time,” Hearn said. “Once we get everything all lined out, I think that should be just about the right size.”
The arrangement also allows the two businesses to share resources such as staffing and point-of-sale systems.
“I’m pleased with how it’s all coming together,” Hearn said. “B’s has been very welcoming, and we are all helping each other. It’s kind of a it-takes-a-village approach.”
Bright Star and B’s Creative are open Tuesdays through Fridays from noon to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m.