A new clothing retail store has moved into Oakwood Mall just in time for Crazy Days this weekend.
Factory Connection, which buys clothing from name-brand retailers and offers it at discounted prices, was bustling with customers — most of them teens and young adults — Friday afternoon. The store offers brands like Amethyst, Fox, Hurley, American Eagle and others younger generations are familiar with.
“We’re expanding into towns in Oklahoma that we feel need more retail stores and clothing selection,” said District Manager Rhonda Walker. “Enid is the size town we like to go into.”
The mall’s general manager, Kelly Goodwin, said he thinks Factory Connection will attract more young people to Oakwood.
“I think the diversity we now have in the mall is what Enid wants,” he said.
The store’s website lists 21 Oklahoma locations, not including the Enid store. It also has shops in Ponca City, Woodward and Guthrie. The Ponca City location opened in May.
Walker said the store has been aggressively expanding into Oklahoma for the past two years, and it targets small and mid-size towns with limited name-brand clothing retailers. She said Factory Connection has 235 stores in 11 states.
“It’s unique because there’s something for everyone,” she said. “From prep to urban and pajamas to suits ... buyers are able to get their hands on multiple brands.”
Lahoma resident Nikki Miller, 27, said she was pleased with the selection as she browsed through the store Friday afternoon. She said she and her friends usually go to Oklahoma City to buy clothing, but that may change because Factory Connection offered the brands she likes.
“This is the first time I’ve been in here, but so far it’s got good variety and good prices,” she said.
Valerie Fenech, who is from Malta in southern Europe and is visiting family in Enid, said the store offers the type of jeans she wears. She said the clothing is similar to what is offered in Europe, but “much cheaper.”
Walker said this is the first Factory Connection location in the state is housed in a closed-air mall space. Others are located in strip malls or stand-alone stores, she said.
“We’re excited to see what kind of numbers run out of this location,” she said.