Zipper open at Main Street Square

It’s just a five-minute drive from the old Seeley and Vanbach stores in Baken Park to their new home upstairs in the Shops at Main Street Square, but the two locations feel worlds apart.

“It’s a great move downtown,” said Mark Bachman, who owns the stores with his wife, Marci, and father, Leonard. “It’s amazing what they’ve done.”

Seeley, Vanbach and The Zipper, a new business also owned by the Bachmans, opened quietly Friday on the newly-remodeled second floor of the Shops at Main Street Square. Crews have spent the past few months remodeling the upstairs of the former Sears building, installing an elevator and stairway and transforming what was once office space into a retail showcase.

The clothing stores open off a common area lit by skylights. A new gift shop, Industrial Glamour, will join them next month (see story), just in time for a Nov. 17 grand opening to celebrate having every space in the Square finished and occupied.

"I think they're going to be really wonderful additions to downtown, and reall to our Shops," said Dan Tribby, property manager for the Shops at Main Street Square. "We're real proud to have them."

For Seeley and Vanbach, the space at Main Street Square is considerably smaller than their previous locations. The Bachmans said they wanted a cozier, more boutique feel to their shops, which they believe will be a good fit with the downtown shopping area and with the stores’ clientele.

“I’ve had this in my mind for about 15 years,” Mark Bachman said. “It turned out really, really nice.”

The Seeley, Vanbach and Zipper stores are all connected, but each space has a separate, distinct feel all its own. Seeley men’s store is casual yet classic. Its dark wood floors, track lighting and glass shelving are offset by antique trunks and other display items, including an old Singer sewing machine that was used by the store’s tailors for years.

“It’s going to be the same Seeley’s,” Bachman said, with many of the longstanding brands the store has sold for decades mixed in with new lines. “We wanted to make it just a nice casual feel to it.”

Tucked in one corner of Seeley’s is a smaller room where customers will go to be professionally fitted for a suit. Built-in cubes of rich dark wood hold stacks of dress shirts and rolls of ties, and a small wooden bar and mini-fridge sit awaiting customers. Behind the bar, track lights showcase a huge black and white image of a group of Homestake miners from long ago.

“Everybody loves this room,” Bachman said. “We wanted to make it special. Our Baken Park store was so wide open.”

Next to Seeley is The Zipper, a jeans-and-shirts shop geared to younger shoppers. Its aura of industrial chic comes from the corrugated metal, reclaimed wood, painted concrete floor and high ceilings. Builders removing lath and plaster from the walls exposed rough brick beneath, which complemented the décor well.

“We thought, ‘That’s perfect,’” Bachman said. “We didn’t fill in any of the holes or anything. It was exactly what we were thinking.”

The Zipper will carry jeans and shirts by Silver, Lucky, Big Star, Mavi, 7 For All Mankind, AG, True Religion, Rock Revival and Diesel, as well as some boots and Tom’s shoes.

“This store gave us the chance to expand into all price ranges,” said Bachman, whose other clothing stores are known for being upscale. “Whoever wants jeans, they’ll find a price point (that works for them).”

Step next door into Vanbach and you enter a light, airy space with lots of wide-silled windows looking out onto Main Street Square and Main Street. The whitewashed wood floor and large chandeliers lend a “shabby chic” feel to the shop, which will carry women’s clothing, jewelry and accessories.

Marci Bachman said that like Seeley, the new Vanbach store will continue to sell some of the same clothing lines as the old store did, while also adding some new ones.

The move to downtown brought things full-circle for Seeley. The men’s clothing store has been in business for more than 75 years and for decades was located on St. Joseph Street. Leonard Bachman began working at the store in 1957 and bought the business from Nelville Seeley in 1975.

Seeley later opened a second store at the Rushmore Mall where Victoria’s Secret is now located. In 1995 Seeley moved to Baken Park, where it was later joined by Vanbach women’s store.

"We really, really welcome the Bachmans back downtown," Tribby said. "It's a great deal to have them move back."