Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05
July 5, 2007 issue
Tanner Outlet—Fabulous Fashion, Fantastic Prices, Local People For 25 Years
Story by Sam Calhoun
It took Bobo Tanner, founder of the Doncaster label and Tanner Outlet stores, 50 years to open a retail division that sold his products to the general public, but when he did he picked Blowing Rock as one of the first locations. More than 25 years later, Tanner’s business decision about Blowing Rock proved successful, and that success is only continuing to grow with the store’s move to Boone two months ago.
The shop formerly located on Highway 321 in Blowing Rock moved to the Shops at Shadowline on April 26. The Shadowline Tanner Outlet is joined in its service to women of all ages in the High Country by a sister store in Banner Elk located at 4004 Highway 105. Both stores, although independent of each other, offer cutting-edge garments and accessories that are high quality and trend driven at discount prices.
“We have a little something for everyone,” said Mandy Poplin, two-year Tanner Outlet store manager, “no matter what their age or their size.”
Poplin and six employees run the store in Boone. Many of the long-time employees are just as recognizable as the store itself, including Janice Whitener, Darlene Holder and Jane Karseras, who pride themselves on top-rate customer service and personal attention.
“We all try and go above and beyond,” said Poplin. “You’re never going to have to search for a salesperson to help you. That has been what has carried the company for 75 years.”
In the 25 years since Tanner began his retail division, eight stores have come online, encompassing North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia. The company is run out of Rutherfordton and until the late 1990s, all the clothes the company sold were produced there. Now the company produces all its clothes in China at a plant owned completely by Tanner—this helps ensure quality control, said Poplin.
“To stay in business, we had to do what everyone else had to do and go offshore,” said Poplin.
The Tanner brand actually didn’t come into existence until 1982. Since the company began 75 years ago, independent sales representatives have sold Doncaster brand garments and accessories in private homes at trunk shows. The sales representatives have two weeks to liquidate their supply before selling the products back to the company. The clothes then go to the Tanner Outlets at discount prices, so all the clothes at Tanner Outlets bear the name Doncaster but are sold under the Tanner name. The outlets sell the products at 25 percent off, but often offer sales where the items can be 40 to 80 percent off.
Clothes are available in the misses line—sizes 2 to 18, including petite—and the women’s line—sizes 12 to 24. Garments and accessories are refreshed four times every year, in spring, summer, fall and winter. The average customer of the Boone Tanner Outlet is age 55 to 65, but women of all ages frequent the store.
“My charge is to put a younger look on the product,” said Poplin.
Poplin, originally from Wilkes County, attended Lees-McRae College where she received a degree in business administration. After graduating, she worked for a brief time with the North Carolina Farm Bureau and then took a job as merchandise manager for Dewoolfson—the company featured in last week’s Business Spotlight.
“That’s where I fell in love with textiles,” said Poplin. “I was intrigued by the hand of fabrics.”
Poplin accepted a job with a private label under Dewoolfson and then set out on her own, opening a baby store at the Shops at Shadowline called The Stork’s Perch.
“I loved it,” said Poplin, who owned the store for five years before selling it. “It was just time for a change.”
That change led her to Blowing Rock to work at Tanner. Almost two years after she arrived came the decision to move.
“We were a staple in Blowing Rock—a landmark,” said Poplin. “We were the first stop for second homeowners when they arrived back in Blowing Rock.”
But when the lease came up on the store, armed with the knowledge that the four-lane highway widening was on the horizon, Poplin and the store employees decided to move the shop to Boone.
“We weren’t in a position to sign another long-term lease there,” said Poplin, who looked at new locations everywhere in the area before finding the space available at Shadowline. “And the move, it’s been fantastic.”
With the same square footage as the Blowing Rock location but higher ceilings, the stock capacity of the store grew by 2,000 pieces to a total of 6,000 pieces, and walk-in traffic has doubled.
“We’re just excited to be in this location and we want everyone to know that [just because we are no longer in Blowing Rock] that we’re not closed,” said Poplin. “We’re still serving the High Country with more inventory than ever and we’re looking forward to seeing all the people who haven’t visited yet.”
Tanner Outlet is located at 240 Shadowline Drive at the Shops at Shadowline in Boone and is open from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call 828-268-2140.