Paper chase

High-end gift card store employee Jennifer Beato was almost out of a job when the Blue Tulip chain went bankrupt and closed all 24 of its stores, including one in Bronxville where Beato was a sales associate.

Now, less than a month later, the newly promoted Beato is busy setting up Swoozie”™s as its new store manager.

Swoozie”™s is an Atlanta-based contemporary gift and paper-goods retailer that acquired 13 of Blue Tulip”™s most viable locations. The purchase marks Swoozie”™s introduction to the northeast and gives the company a portfolio increase of more than 40 percent.

“The parallels between Swoozie”™s and Blue Tulip”™s customers and products are remarkably strong,” said Richard Gibson, Swoozie”™s chief operating officer. “Acquiring a selection of their prime locations out of bankruptcy is a tremendous opportunity for Swoozie”™s, and we are thrilled to continue with our strategic growth plans andÂ introduce Swoozie”™s to the northeast at a time when our products and services have never been more important.”

Swoozie”™s offers a larger invitation and paper selection than Blue Tulip as well as offers customized printing on almost everything in the store.

“We make a point to stay within the budget of our consumer,” said Amy Wilkinson, Swoozie”™s vice president of marketing. “Most of the items in our store are under $20, if not under $50.”

The 13 new Swoozie”™s locations include the Bronxville store at 166 Pondfield Road as well as others in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, all of which will celebrate grand openings featuring discounts, drawings and raffles beginning March 5.

Many of the 150 hires for the new Swoozie”™s locations came from Blue Tulip.

“We interviewed most of the managers from Blue Tulip after we finalized the purchase, and some were hired back for Swoozie”™s and helped us develop their teams,” Wilkinson said. “Every store has anywhere from 10 to 12 employees, and in total, we now have about 600 employees.”

Prior to the acquisition of the Blue Tulip locations, Swoozie”™s was a 31-store national chain operating in 11 states, primarily in the South. In the two years prior to acquiring Blue Tulip, Swoozie”™s opened 14 locations, doubling in size. The transition into the Northeast has been an ongoing strategic consideration.

Last week, Beato gathered employees together to help set up the 4,500-square-foot store in preparation for the grand opening.

“This is the one-stop shop for a busy mom to get everything she could possibly need to throw a party,” Beato said. “We have really fun, playful merchandise offered to the customer at a lower price point, which really comes in handy during this difficult economic time.”

The Swoozie”™s-Blue Tulip relationship meant a “smooth transition” in the rental process, according to Jonanthan Gordon, principal with Admiral Real Estate Corp. in Bronxville, which handles leasing for about 60 percent of the village”™s downtown.

The Web site is www.swoozies.com.