Jeanne Beck is back working at the LAB building, but this time she’s the boss.
Beck bought La Loft, a women’s clothing consignment shop on Main Street, from Janet Hayes this week.
“Janet decided to put it up for sale at a time when I was trying to decide whether to work for somebody or be my own boss,” Beck said. “It just kind of fell together.”
Hayes bought the store five years ago from Alissa Henry when it was Lost Coast Surf Shop on Second Avenue. She moved to the Main Street location two years ago. She said she decided to sell about a year and a half ago because her husband, Jim Hayes, a U.S Customs border guard, is on track to get a job for the agency in Key West, Florida.
“We’re hopefully out of here,” Hayes said. “I want to sweep sand and not push snow.”
Beck said she plans to carry on La Loft’s tradition selling quality, used women’s clothes but plans to widen the store’s offerings.
“I want to carry children’s stuff and maybe some men’s stuff. I think there’s a need for really good used children’s clothes,” Beck said. “We have mothers coming in here shopping and grandmothers coming here shopping.”
Beck and Hayes said the store is the only place women can get affordable clothing in town. “I have a big clientele that was pretty worried about what was going to happen to the store so the fact that it’s continuing is amazing and a great service to the town,” Hayes said.
Beck said she plans to keep her store open Tuesday through Saturday.
“I find it ironic that I’m back in the old LAB building. I worked here for eight years. This time I don’t have Layton in the back yelling at me so it’s all good,” Beck quipped of her old boss.