Vendor’s mall to open in Shelbyville
By Terri Miller/Sentinel-News Staff Writer
From jewelry and shoes to furniture and heirlooms, finding the perfect bargain might have just gotten a little easier.
Next Friday, Big Time Bargains & Bingo will open its doors in the Midland Shopping Center in Shelbyville. Owner Harry Vinegar has operated a bingo hall from that location for some time, and said he recently decided to relocate his Dixie Highway vendor’s mall to a 17,000-square-foot space next door.
“I found a better lease rate here,” Vinegar said. “And I thought it would do well, since Shelbyville is really growing.”
A teacher-turned-entrepreneur, Vinegar launched his shopping extravaganza in Louisville about a year ago, and so far has seen success. Locally, Big Time Bargains & Bingo will offer booths stocked by 120 different and unique merchants.
“We sell everything, but we’re more of a retail establishment than a bargaining store,” Vinegar said. “Some items are pre-owned, but the majority is new merchandise — candles, leather, ceramics, pictures, tools, handmade purses — our vendors are free to sell almost anything.”
What his business will not offer, Vinegar said, is anything illegal or in “bad taste.”
Not only will the mall offer Shelby County’s shoppers somewhere new to shop, it will also offer those wishing to earn extra income or launch their own business an easy, flexible way of doing so, Vinegar said.
All that is needed is to rent a space.
“For $110, you can literally be in business for yourself,” Vinegar said. “Where else can you start up and have a month-to-month lease? We have parents who want to sell gently used clothing, teachers who want to earn some extra income, even a minister who brings back items from his mission trips and sells them to raise money to fund more missionary work. Every booth is different.”
One vendor sells nothing but socks, said manager Marlene Mouser. “And everybody needs socks,” she said.
Vinegar said each vendor designs and stocks their space, and Big Time Bargains & Bingo’s staff provides the security and maintenance for each booth.
“We track the items sold and help them keep up with their inventory,” he said. “At the end of each month, they receive a check. It’s great for those who have other jobs.”
It’s also a great way for churches, schools and non-profits to raise funds, Vinegar said, since a space can be rented for just one month. Those from a service industry, such as car dealerships, may rent spaces as well.
“It’s a place for them to set up a table and greet people,” Vinegar said.
While many of the spaces are already rented, there are a few still available. Vinegar and Mouser plan to open an eBay store in the mall sometime in the near future as well.
Mouser said she hopes combining the mall with the bingo hall will help draw customers.
“We’re hoping that the bargains will help the bingo, and the bingo will help the bargains,” she said. “A lot of bingo players show up early to browse the mall.”
Big Time Bargains & Bingo opens March 3. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday noon to 8 p.m. For information, call 647-3244.
For the bargain hunters, Vinegar advises allowing plenty of time to view the entire mall.
“There are just so many things,” he said.
