Krickets specializes in one-of-a-kind fashions

The man looked confused. He had no idea what he should buy his wife for Christmas, or even where he should start looking for her gift. Yet here he was, shopping for her in a women's clothing store.

Fortunately, Cindy Haik, owner of Krickets Fine Fash-ions, had several suggestions. The man's wife was one of her regular customers, and Haik knew her size, skin tone, hair color and which clothing styles she liked best. After some deliberation, the man decided to buy a bright blue pantsuit that Haik recommended.

"I keep notes on all of my regular customers," Haik said. "When I go to market in Dallas or Atlanta, I shop for them."

Giving personalized service is just one of the ways Krickets keeps up with the competition. The store, which sells upscale women's fashions, has been in business since 1987. However, its roots date back to 1976 when Haik's parents started Fabric Town Inc.

Initially, Fabric Town sold fa-brics, patterns and other sewing supplies. As the store grew and expanded, however, it began carrying women's clothing. Soon, clothing sales accounted for most of the sales, and the store's name was changed to Fashion Town.

Several years later, the Haik family closed Fashion Town and the inventory from that store was used to open two new women's clothing stores The Boardwalk, which caters to ma-ture women, and Krickets, which carries clothing for women who are 20 and older.

Haik's sister, Pam Clark, runs The Boardwalk, which has locations at 3863 S. Campbell and 1717 E. Cherokee, next door to Krickets. Haik runs Krickets Fine Fashions, which has locations at 1717 E. Cherokee St. and 3857-D S. Campbell Ave. Their brother, Rick Haik, keeps the books, handles freight deliveries for both businesses and is the "brains behind both operations," Cindy Haik said.

Since Krickets opened in 1987, the number of retail stores in Springfield that sell fine women's clothing has in-creased. Krickets has managed to keep pace with the competition, however, by carrying items that can't be found anywhere else.

"When you go to the mall, you can find racks and racks of clothes in the same size," Haik said. "I only carry one size of each outfit, which means you'll never see someone else wearing your outfit."

Many of the clothing items carried at Krickets are geared toward women who like to wear something that reflects their personality. From seasonal sweaters to casual pantsuit to tailored suits and slacks, the clothing at Krickets is both stylish and a little bit different from the clothes normally found in a department store.

Part of this difference can be attributed to the name brands Haik carries. Brighton manufactures all the shoes, belts and accessories sold at Krickets. Other name brands include Sha-ron Young, St. Germain, Marisa Christina, Popovich, Michael Simon, Sigrid Olson, Tommy Bahama and Blast. Krickets also is an exclusive distributor for Telluride and Tyler Boc, and soon it will be the exclusive distributor for Cambridge.

Unlike large retail stores, Krickets doesn't hold many sales. In fact, Haik only holds sales in January and July.

For Haik the best advertising is loyal customers, one of whom is radio personality Janet Lane, who co-hosts with Woody Snow on KGBX.

"Janet will mention something on the radio, and people will come in here," Haik said. "She's great. She's not just a customer, she's also my friend. I feel that way about most of the people who come here to shop. They're not just customers, they're also friends."

Recently, several regular Krickets customers have served as models at fashion shows held at Millwood and Highland Springs. Although putting the shows together is a lot of work, Haik said she plans to hold more in the future so she can continue to generate interest in Krickets.

In addition, she's making plans to close the store on South Campbell Avenue and open a new store on Republic Road sometime this spring. Accord-ing to Haik, the new store will be much larger, which will allow her to carry more clothing items and accessories.