NEWBERRY — Newberry shoppers have a new option with the opening of Burkes Outlet in The Heritage.
Burkes Outlet (2821 Main Street, Newberry), sells women’s clothing, men’s clothing, shoes, accessories and home goods.
According to Store Manager Crystal Phillips — who also worked at Goody’s — Burkes is an outlet store and is a family owned business based out of Florida. District Manager Yasmean Dixon said they are definitely a growing company.
“We are just really focused on this being a one-stop shop for our guest that is coming in, they can buy home goods, clothes and things like that for their children and things of that nature,” she said.
Dixon said they offer a little bit of everything for everyone, but their incentive program is what she thinks sets them apart.
“We have a rewards program that doesn’t cost you anything, every time you shop and spend with us you earn points, you can earn coupons. On Mondays you get a 10% discount and on your birthday we give you 15% off your purchase. We are already two to three dollars cheaper than most retailers and you get an additional incentive,” she said.
Burkes Outlet held its grand opening with a ribbon cutting through the Newberry County Chamber of Commerce on April 1; however, they had a soft opening prior to that.
“A soft opening was originally scheduled for the 29th, but we went ahead on the 27th. It’s been crowded and there has been some great foot traffic. The people of Newberry are really excited, we are here and we are happy,” Dixon said.
Phillips added that the people of Newberry have been so great and patient.
When it comes to the foot traffic Burkes has already had, Dixon said it shows they are making a difference in the community.
“We are already recognized by the community and we are thankful and happy about that, grateful honestly, so grateful,” she said.
For the grand opening and soft opening process, Dixon said they hired about 35 people, Dixon said they kept a majority of those employees and today they are employing 26 people.
“We plan to grow, the more business we can do here, the more revenue, we can continue to grow and employ more people here,” she said. “The company has huge growth opportunities. Naturally, as we are going into these small towns, if we continue to do well, we are going to continue to open up more stores and locations.”
According to Dixon, the next closest Burkes to Newberry is in Cayce and then Garners Ferry Road, giving the Newberry community another option to stay in county, as opposed to driving out of town.
Burkes took over the shopping center slot that was left vacant when Goody’s closed its doors. When it comes to how Burkes is different than Goody’s, Dixon said the main difference is in the brands and the deals they offer. She said they are an off price retailer and offer all types of discounts, perks and incentives.
“Some of these incentives are just unheard of when we think of our competitors in general,” Dixon said.
The announcement of Burkes came toward the beginning of 2021 and Dixon said the company has been very strategic in opening.
“They were able to work out some things with the Goody’s company just in general, we were able to transition and take over the building. We were able to get it open in about three months,” she said.
Along with Phillips, there are three other former Goody’s employees working at Burkes. Phillips said the community knows them and trusts them.
“We are brand new to Newberry, we needed someone who is a pillar of the community, we needed someone that knows what is going on here, and what our clientele is going to want and need. So it was important for us to have someone local,” Dixon said.
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