KTAF NEWS

VICTOR, NY — The decision to open The Plug, a new clothing and shoe store in Eastview Mall, happened in a roundabout way for owner Rich Hunley.

Hunley used to work at Foot Locker before he was promoted to district manager for the shoe and clothing retailer DTLR, overseeing nine of its locations.After approaching the founder of The Plug, based in Pennsylvania, he learned they both had a mutual friend in Hunley’s business partner at Foot Locker.

“So the three of us met up and did this venture,” he said.

According to Hunley, who’s accumulated 15 years of experience in the retail shoe business, The Plug offers locally made clothing and shoes that customers typically can only purchase online.

“The best comparison to what we are is that you don’t have to wait two weeks to get the shoes,” he said. “If you go through [online marketplace] StockX there’s usually a seven- to 10-day window before you’re seeing the shoes. You have to wait two weeks to get the shoe.”

But not at The Plug, which offers a selection of brands not available at larger retailers, such as Adidas Yeezy shoes or retro Air Jordan sneakers, which as Hunley emphasized, are “not available in normal retailers.”

Aside from offering several exclusive shoe brands, the store is offering customization options through the Rochester-based Remix Custom Kicks LLC and will also use a  ,keymaster arcade machine to give customers an opportunity to win a pair of shoes. The store will launch a dry-cleaning option for shoes beginning Dec. 18, during the store’s grand opening, which will also include a PlayStation 5 giveaway. There will also be  ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m.

The Plug is believed to be the first minority-owned retailer in Eastview Mall. “There haven’t been many other businesses owned like this in the store. I pride myself on that, and on the service we offer here,” Hunley said, listing that service as one of his main priorities.

“That’s definitely my number one thing, you’ve got to bring your A game,” he said. “You can’t make them feel like they don’t belong. You have to make them feel welcome.”

According to Eastview general manager Mike Kauffman, “we’re obviously thrilled to have Rickey here. That concept’s proven to be pretty successful around the country. The store looks great and they’ve been great operators.”

While the grand opening is still a few weeks away, the store has been open since Black Friday, and has remained busy.

“We were rocking,” Hunley said regarding the Nov. 26 opening. And even though the size of the store staff is small, with him and one part-time worker, he’s managed to get plenty of help from “family and friends coming in, helping out.”

“A lot of people were excited, a lot of people were thanking us because they no longer had to shop online for the product we were selling,” he added when it came to the Black Friday opening.

Hunley said that the excitement hasn’t diminished yet, with plenty of positive feedback from customers saying they would happily shop there again, with the store’s Instagram often tagging customers happy with their latest purchase.

Hunley added The Plug has the advantage of easily five times as much store space as many consignment-type stores.

“Most sneaker stores of this sort are sort of crammed. They’re small,” Hunley said, adding that the average consignment store is around 800 to 1,200 square feet, with The Plug’s original store in Pennsylvania at 600 square feet. At Eastview, he said, “We have an actual stockroom and a 3,000-square-foot space, with overflow for extra stock.”

This space makes it easier to cultivate a less crowded, more welcoming atmosphere.

“The overall atmosphere in the store, it literally puts a smile on people’s faces so we’re just trying to keep that energy going,” Hunley said.