Palmetto Moon, a Charleston, SC based southern lifestyle specialty retailer, announced today the company will enter its sixth state on May 1, 2021 with the grand opening of its newest store in Hoover, Alabama in the Riverchase Galleria. Additionally, as part of the company’s long-term succession planning, Palmetto Moon has restructured leadership to meet its projected growth objectives. Eric Holzer, has been named Chairman; John Thomas, has been named CEO and Chief Merchandising Officer; and Amber Dube, has been named Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer. Additionally, Laura Martinez, has been promoted to Vice President of Merchandising.

“Palmetto Moon has been on an extraordinary growth track since our inception in 2002,” said Eric Holzer, Chairman. “As we have grown, we have worked tirelessly to maintain the core values and culture that have been key to our success. The Palmetto Moon customer is our focus, consistently exceeding our customer’s expectations and a relentless focus on new, exciting products are the tenants of our company.”

Management Changes for the future

As part of our succession planning process, the following appointments have been made, effective May 2021.

Eric Holzer joined the company in 2003, and has held many management roles for the company; CMO, President and most recently CEO since returning to the company in 2018. Eric will now step into a new role to continue supporting the company as Chairman. In this new role, Holzer will continue providing insight and strategic leadership to the company moving forward. “As our brick-and-mortar footprint and e-commerce business across the Southeast have continued to expand, it was prudent to reorganize our leadership structure to support our goals moving forward” said Holzer. “John has been an invaluable asset for Palmetto Moon, helping shape our strategic direction, as well as merchandising evolution for many years. I’m excited for John to lead the next phase of our growth.”

John Thomas joined Palmetto Moon in 2019 as Chief Merchandising Officer. He previously served on the Board of Palmetto Moon and was a former Belk and May Company merchandising executive. John will now assume the role of CEO/CMO responsible for the goals, strategy, and trajectory of the company. John has been a trusted colleague of the Palmetto Moon founding family for nearly three decades, and is renowned for his merchandising expertise, leadership style and business acumen. “Retail is changing rapidly, and Palmetto Moon’s ability to be nimble, and evolve with our customers, has been the core to our success,” said Thomas. “I look forward to working with our Palmetto Moon team as we embark on the next chapter for the company.”

Amber Dube was hired in June 2018 as VP of Marketing to elevate the brand and customer engagement. She was promoted to Chief Marketing Officer in 2019 and her role was expanded to Chief Brand Officer in February 2020, adding the oversight of all store operations to her leadership duties. As Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer, Dube is responsible for daily operations of the company, driving the day-to-day business operations including retail stores, marketing, and e-commerce. “Amber has an incredible work ethic and exceptional problem-solving skills that elevate our company offerings daily,” said Holzer. “She has a genuine belief that customer engagement and experience is the key to our success.”

Dube added, “Our secret sauce is product mix, our customer engagement model, and localization of product selection. We know and understand our customer base and with that understanding we are hyper-focused on investing in the right market to meet our customers’ needs and wants.”

Laura Martinez has been promoted to Vice President of Merchandising, moving from her current role as Director of Planning, Allocation and Strategy. Martinez joined Palmetto Moon in 2006, and has held many merchandising and store management positions during her tenure with Palmetto Moon. In her new role as VP of Merchandising, Martinez will oversee the day-to-day activities of the merchant team, including retail strategy, buying, planning and allocation.

“Laura is Palmetto Moon to the core,” said Thomas. “She embodies the spirit of our mission, and she is an accomplished merchant. Laura is a tremendous example of growth and experience for Palmetto Moon, I am excited to see her continued contributions in this new role.”

For more information on Palmetto Moon, please visit www.palmettomoononline.com.

About Palmetto Moon – Palmetto Moon, based in Charleston, South Carolina, is a rapidly growing specialty apparel, accessories, home, and gifts retailer celebrating the Southern lifestyle. Palmetto Moon is a fun, energetic company with a relentless focus on customer service. The stores carry countless affordable gifts and a wide selection of collegiate gear and lifestyle brands including Vineyard Vines, YETI, Chubbies, Patagonia, Southern Marsh, Simply Southern, Hey Dude, Hippie Runner, Old Row, Kan Can, Costa, Columbia, Rainbow Sandals, Olukai, Brumate, and many more.

Palmetto Moon currently operates 27 locations throughout the Southeast in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee. The company’s 28th store will debut in Hoover, Alabama on May 1, 2021. Shop online at www.palmettomoononline.com.