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SHAKER HTS, Ohio - Ashley Stewart, the leading plus-size American clothing retailer for women and lifestyle brand that caters to African-American women size 10 to 36, on Saturday announced the opening of its Shaker Hts, Ohio store, which is located in the Shaker Town Centre at Chagrin Blvd and Lee Road near the city of Cleveland border.

Mayor David E. Weiss commemorated the occasion with an official ribbon cutting and was joined at the helm by  store sales manager Nikeia Johnson, assistant store manager Charnell Maxwell, Ashley Stewart district manager Katrice Collins, and digital content creator Tiffany Flamer, who hosted the event.  Teona Nickson, store sales manager for the Ashley Stewart location in Cleveland Hts and Shanita Ivy, store manager for the Southgate Shopping Center store in Maple Hts, were also on hand. All three of the store sales managers at the three Northeast Ohio locations are Black, as is the district manager

"We are actually thrilled to have you in our community, " said Mayor Weiss of the new Ashley Stewart store in his community prior to cutting the ribbon. "It bridges the tax base and causes people to come to our community."

Weiss also said that it increases diversity and that Shaker Hts, a prominent Cleveland suburb with a population of about 27,000 people that is roughly 37 percent Black, is one of the most "diverse communities in the region and in the country."

Johnson said that as sales store sales manager she is excited to help lead the initiative with Ashley Stewart to provide the hottest fashions for women sizes 10 to 36 as well as professional attire and other apparel such as jeans and casual selections.

Located near Heinen's Fine Foods, the Shaker Hts store represents the first store the New jersey-based clothing chain has opened since unveiling its new brand logo and website this past summer. It is one of  some 82 Ashley Stewart stores nationwide, five of them in Ohio and three in Northeast Ohio.

The new store in Shaker Hts is a relocation  from the store in the Lee- Harvard neighborhood  in Cleveland's Ward 1. The other two Northeast Ohio stores are at Severance Town Center and Southgate Shopping Center.

Saturday's grand opening was well-received as customers enjoyed a dance competition and Ashley Stewart trivia with the winners receiving gift cards. Local vendors included Tyeshia Davis of Tally Sweets, who provided sweet treats, and Love, Key of Love, Key Luxury Lashes, who applied free lash applications to customers with a purchase.

District manager Katrice Collins and hist Tiffany Flamer presented a donation check to Dress for Success Cleveland CEO Melony Butler on behalf of Ashley Stewart.

Butler was appreciative of the contribution and said that her organization welcomes the new location, and what Ashley Stewart brings to the greater Cleveland area for women, and economically. Others agreed.

"Black women are phenomenal women and as we continue to thrive and dress for success quality retailers like Ashley Stewart that have affordable prices help us do just that," said Melinda Davis, a volunteer with Dress for Success Cleveland who attended Saturday's event and said she is thrilled with the new store in Shaker Hts., which she says is modern and chic.

The plus-size women’s apparel market in the U.S. is an estimated $30.7 billion business serving millions of women, according to Coresight Research, and Ashley Stewart, led by CEO Gary Sheinbaum, the former CEO of Tommy Hilfiger who was named CEO in 2021, remains in the forefront in that market.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com the most read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio and in the Midwest Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.