Classy Collective rebrands at new location

By Joey McWilliams

DURANT – Jennifer Mussett knows what it means to relocate her business – even if it is just a few hundred feet.

Business presented by Kiamichi Tech.

Again.

The Classy Collective, formerly known as the Classy Classroom, originally opened in Durant at 316 W. Main.

“Ok. We did open right across the street one year ago today,” Mussett said. “The only issue that we had there – I loved it there – but it’s prohibitively small. Like this doesn’t look large unless you go over there. But it worked for the time.

The business moved a little west down Main Street to 306 W. Main a few months later to a somewhat larger space. But Mussett may have found that the third time is the charm.

And she has taken a positive approach to the moving experience.

“This is actually our third location. We’re hoping for a winner. But I have declared myself a downtown flipper because I do try to leave each building a little better than I found it and they are move in ready when I leave. So that’s been helpful to Curt (Walker).”

The new location is actually across the street, but still on Main Street in between Third and Fourth Avenues. And the business is expanding its scope

“We needed a little bit more space,” Mussett said. “And we found out very quickly that school supplies are more seasonal than I anticipated. So while we had a really, really good crowd in the summer, we needed a little bit more variety to get us through the rest of the year.

“So we do have gift items and we have clothing, and everything though is still kind of with our teacher in mind. It’s not necessarily a teacher, but that budget, that style, that easy-to-wear, affordable things like that. And then gifts so that you can run in here and get yourself a shirt and whatever you need for your classroom and grab a gift while you’re here.”

The Classy Collective, now at 305 W. Main St., has opportunities for other vendors to show their wares, as well.

“These are all friends of mine and they are all moms and most of them have other jobs as well. So this gives them an opportunity to be in a storefront without al the overhead, without having to be there, and it gives them the opportunity for custom orders to be picked up.”

The store sells gifts and clothing, but also the teaching supplies, classroom decorations, flash cards, workbooks and more that it has offered since the beginning.

“We’re kind of a one-stop shop,” Mussett said. “I told somebody one day we’re like a lifestyle store. I have a thing where I like to move things around a lot, obviously I like to  move a lot, so we try to provide a different variety every time you come in and switch things up as we need to.”