SIOUX CITY | MODE, a new boutique in Sioux City, has a few key selling points for people looking to get clothing and accessories.
The MODE franchise, which began in Fargo, N.D., touts having designer fashion at close-out prices and offering overstock items in a boutique environment.
Owner Tammy Bertrand is also proud MODE is the home of the $40 jeans. She said a few higher brands cost $50, but the vast majority of jeans in the store are priced at $40, many of which people would pay $150 for in some stores.
All that means MODE is distinctive among a host of other boutiques, Bertrand said.
"We have something for everybody," she said.
MODE is located in the Lakeport Commons outdoor mall, a chief city shopping area, at 5001 Sergeant Road, #245. It is the 12th MODE store, and officials are aiming for 75 by 2024.
Kari Epling is the manager of the store, which is owned by Bertrand and her husband, Rick.
Rick Bertrand is a state legislator who owns several businesses in the city, including McCarthy and Bailey's Irish Pub downtown.
MODE opened in November and customers have been turning out well, Tammy Bertrand said. She said buyers for the MODE franchise seize products that other retailers bypass, resulting in great products for customers. That buying results in shipments coming to the Sioux City store two or three times per week, which Bertrand said means customers should stop by frequently in order to keep up.
"We call it Christmas -- we open a box and we don't know what we are getting," she said.
Some new items will sell out in a few days, which is why Bertrand said people shouldn't always sleep on a possible purchase overnight.
"It is true: If you like it, you should buy it, because it will be gone," she said.
MODE typically has about a dozen brands of jeans, plus a host of tops, shirts, dresses, loungewear and jewelry. The jeans run from size zero to 22, which isn't typical of some stores, Bertrand noted.
She said the age range of shoppers has run from high-schoolers to senior citizens.
Bertrand said Lakeport Commons has been a great location for MODE. She said the company aims to be in regional cities with outdoor mall locations, so officials were enthused to move into Sioux City.
