NEWARK -- When talking or writing about Ashley Stewart, CEO James Rhee repeats a couple of terms that take a little getting used to in the context: "she," in reference to its plus-size clientele; and "fiduciary," to describe the chain's relationship with its customers based on trust.

Rhee, whose company will open a Newark store on Saturday, is known for having turned the Secaucus-based retailer around starting in 2013, when he moved from equity investor to full-time chief executive and led the chain out of bankruptcy and into profitability.

CEO James Rhee (Courtesy Ashley Stewart)

He closed money-losing stores, incorporated events and social media into Ashley Stewart's marketing, and instilled a business ethic based on kindness, something Rhee said he inherited from his parents.

"And hopefully it's a good way to live life, as well," said Rhee, a 46-year-old Harvard College and Law School grad, who lives with his wife and three daughters near Boston.

"It's one of these things that drove me to go teach high school after college for a couple of years. I think kindness is often confused with niceness. It involves friendship and love, but its very strong. It's generous and empathetic, and means being a fiduciary."

In describing customers' traditional eagerness to engage with one another at Ashley Stewart stores, Rhee said, "she can do it now digitally."

Apart from its home page, Ashley Stewart is now on Facebook -- make sure you search for "Ashley Stewart Clothing" to avoid the dozen pages belonging to women actually named Ashley Stewart. (The company's name is an invention of its founder, real estate investor Joseph Sitt, who combined elements of the popular brands Laura Ashley and Martha Stewart.)

The new Newark store is in the city's University Heights section, in the Springfield Avenue Marketplace. The shopping plaza at Springfield and Jones Street is anchored by a huge ShopRite supermarket that opened a little over a year ago.

The store is actually a return to Newark for Ashley Stewart, which had a location on Broad Street that was one of about 80 under-performing locations closed by Rhee to put the chain back in the black.

"Newark was one of the few downtown locations we had to close," Rhee said. "We were selling scrap metal in the warehouse to make payroll."

The store's "soft opening" on April 1 will be followed by an April 13th ribbon cutting, that will include city officials, who welcomed store and the 11 jobs it provides, eight of them for Newark residents.

"The fact that Ashley Stewart is locating outside of downtown is another recognition that the Newark renaissance is spreading to neighborhoods throughout the city," Mayor Ras Baraka said in a statement.

Down from 168 stores in 24 states, company officials say Ashley Stewart now has 90 stores in 22 states. Five are in New Jersey, including Jersey City, Ewing, Union, East Orange and the new Newark location.

Company officials said Newark was chosen for a new store based on a retail resurgence demonstrated by the openings of Whole Foods and Nike stores in recent years, plus demand for a return of the plus-size chain from loyal Ashley Stewart customers who miss the downtown store.

At the Springfield Avenue location this week, work crews were busy hanging mirrors, papering the walls and hanging shelves waiting to be stocked with merchandise stowed in a vacant marketplace store still awaiting a tenant.

Because it's so close to the company's Secaucus headquarters, the 3,800-square-foot Newark location will be a "lab store," with new features that will be monitored for performance, said Kristen Gaskins, Ashley Stewart's chief merchandising officer.

They include a "more feminine" design, using Ashley Stewart's signature pink-white-and-black color scheme, wi-fi, and a lounge area with a stage-like platform where customers can model outfits for friends.

In a nod to both privacy and convenience, the fitting rooms will be located within a broader enclosed area that will also contain the store's lingerie selection.

A large-screen television will broadcast the company's new "Ashley TV" station. Newark and other stores will be where Ashley Stewart employees will be looking out for "Ashley Stewart 2017," a company spokes model who will be chosen from among store shoppers.

The company features a full line of Ashley Stewart's in-house brand of clothing for work, casual and evening wear, plus a limited selection of athletic apparel and shoes, all for woman sizes 12-26. Ashley Stewart swimwear is sold online.

Founded in 1991, Ashley Stewart made its name promoting stylishness and a positive self-image to women whose bodies are larger than those typically seen in apparel ads or editorial layouts. The company also focused women in urban areas, whose lives could be difficult for reasons beyond being underserved by fashion designers and retailers.

"We believe in advocating for a woman who could sometimes use more advocacy," Rhee wrote in a piece for the Harvard Business Review.

Rhee, who grew up on Long Island, is the son of Korean immigrants who faced their own set of disadvantages, including a language barrier. And that, he said, was partly what moved him to take hold of the ailing company in 2013 and try to revive it, rather than liquidating its assets and moving on to his next investment.

"Most people think of me as an equity investor," Rhee said. "But this brand reminds me of my mom. Being an immigrant in this country and not being able to speak English as well as she wanted, sometimes it wasn't easy for her."

Steve Strunsky may be reached at

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