New Paris store set for Sunday milestone

Feb. 10—NEW PARIS — For Shane and Veronica Hawkins, Sunday will represent a milestone.

Their store, Hawks Discount, has seen a number of changes over the years. The building, at the corner of Main and Market streets in downtown New Paris, was built in 1904 and featured a barbershop and a drugstore, with a post office in the basement.

If You Go

HAWKS DISCOUNT

LOCATION: 68477 Main St., New Paris

HOURS: Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Fridays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and closed Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays.

PHONE: 574-903-3443

EMAIL: hawksdiscount@gmail.com

Later, it became a general store.

"My parents ran it for about 45 years," Shane said. "Everybody called it 'Jim's store.'"

Last Feb. 11, it reopened as Hawks Discount, featuring housewares, small appliances, toys, food, clothing and other items. The Hawks buy liquidation pallets and truckloads from major distributors such as Amazon, Walmart, Target and Home Depot.

"A lady came in and purchased a few items and it reminded her of 'a little T.J. Maxx,'" Veronica said.

Since reopening, they've met a lot of new people and seen an expanded customer base, from Warsaw to Elkhart, with sales seeming to be a bit better with each passing month.

"Facebook has been pretty important," Shane said.

Another feature they've used is tag sale dates, where discounts are given on certain items based on how long they've been for sale at the store.

"That was kind of our own idea, to keep things moving," Shane said, adding that they also have specials and giveaways on their Facebook page.

Veronica noted that when new items come in, such as electronic ones, they take them out of the box and test them to make sure they work.

"A lot of retail places just put stuff on the shelves, and they get a lot more returns," she said. "We hardly ever get returns."

Helping out in the community is also important for the Hawkins. Their sales counter, right by the cash register, has a spare change donation jar, in which donations are taken for a new charity each month. For February, it's the Fairfield Food Pantry.

To learn more, visit www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089073915919.