Impulse buying builds a sunglass empire

By Paul Grimaldi

WOONSOCKET -- Dan Zuckerman, a Woonsocket businessman, had a bright idea that led to a small, thriving business. You can make a good living, he discovered, selling sunglasses to fashion-conscious mall shoppers who want the latest looks without spending a week's paycheck on a pair of shades. "Every mall has a sunglass cart by mid-May," Zuckerman said. "When you buy at a kiosk, it's an impulse item." Zuckerman, president of Heatwave Sunglasses, ran a string of 20 sunglass kiosks in malls throughout New England and New York during the 1990s. He was to offer prospective business owners tips on managing kiosks at the Specialty Retail Entrepreneurs Expo and Conference at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston last week. Sponsored by Specialty Retail Report, a Hanover, Mass., trade publication, the conference brought together product wholesalers, mall managers, leasing agents and people looking to get into the kiosk business.

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