New Trinket Store Replaces Old

by Nina Goldman

It’s been three weeks since a brand new store arrived in Bronxville. This store sells fun gift items, personalized stationary, greeting cards, and more! Sound familiar? Well, it’s not Blue Tulip, if that’s what you’re thinking. It’s Swoozie’s!

“Is [this store] Blue Tulip, or has it changed?” asked one confused shopper the other day who had schlepped all the way from Yonkers to browse Swoozie’s merchandise. She had every right to be confused; the similarities between the shop that once occupied the same space and the new one that has come in to replace it are obvious.

Like her, many who once shopped Blue Tulip are unaware of the change. Though sales associates at Swoozie’s claim the store has “entirely different management… owners, system, everything”, many shoppers were hard pressed to find the difference.

“They used to give away lollipops, but now they sell them and give away cookies,” explained a Bronxville mother whose children, all ages eight or younger, had dragged her to the store. She also called Swoozie’s a “little more whimsical” than Blue Tulip had been. However, the biggest change she saw appeared to be the lollipop-cookie situation.

Another shopper, a man from Crestwood, concurred that Swoozie’s “has more fun things.” He seemed excited by the brightly colored knickknacks and trinkets that the store had to offer. Previous shoppers of Blue Tulip, such as White Plains resident Phyllis W., say they always enjoyed being able to get something a “little unusual” there. In this area, Swoozie’s seems to have outdone itself, showing so much different merchandise that one visit wasn’t enough to fully appreciate all of their colorful selection.

A particularly perceptive seven-year-old, John Dominick of Bronxville, who was in the process of buying a stuffed monkey, said “I think it’s the same as Blue Tulip. It just has a different name.” However, the different name seems to be lost on many shoppers. John could and did correctly name the store when asked, but his grandfather, who was accompanying him, could not. Neither could many Bronxville students when questioned about it.

According to the sales associates, “our prices are more competitive [than Blue Tulip’s].” But what does that really mean? “It’s less classy… the prices are lower,” as an anonymous BHS sophomore put it, “They sell more plastic things.” However, in this new, very competitive economy, perhaps that’s a good thing.