By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Niles' 29th grand opening of the year was held Thursday morning at Sue's Hallmark, located at 312 E. Main St. This is no new business by any means, as it was formerly known as Majerek's Hallmark Readers World. Sue and Dave Majerek took over ownership in June after purchasing the business from MAJCO.
According to Chamber of Commerce president Ron Sather, Majerek's is the only business in downtown Niles which has kept the same name for 50 years.
"It's a great honor to have this business in Niles. The building itself has a lot of history and Majerek's has provided years of great service and products to members of this community," Sather said.
He went on to talk about how the building used to house a motion picture theatre, which is evident by the tall ceilings and balcony. It was also once one of three locations for the J.C. Penney store and was once the Art Schwartz building. In 1957, it was purchased by the Majerek family and has been "an anchor to downtown Niles and a success in Niles for decades," according to Lisa Croteau, program manager of Niles Main Street.
Majerek said her goal is to keep a lot of the same items that customers are used to, but she has also been listening to input from frequent shoppers to hear about what they would like to see in the store.
"We have been making a lot of changes and getting new products in. Some of the things I would like to do in the near future will include stocking office supplies. Nothing too large, but just your basic supplies. We want this to be a hometown store you can rely on and be able to find what you want," Majerek said.
Starting today, Sue's Hallmark will be hosting an open house, which will feature a number of different promotions, including buy one roll of wrapping paper, get one free and much more. Store hours on Saturday are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Some of the products shoppers will find in Sue's Hallmark include a wide variety of the popular Yankee Candles in different scents and sizes. There are also a number of different home d/cor items, including holiday knick-knacks. And, of course, a number of different greeting cards for any occasion.
Majerek was born and raised in Niles and graduated from Ball State University in 1983. Her husband, Dave, graduated from Western Michigan University and owns State Farm Insurance in Three Oaks.