T-L Photo/GAGE VOTA Store Manager Jewan Kyle (left), Owner Chris Gyroko (center), and Assistant Store Manager La’Wanada Cox (right) of Studio 740 in Martins Ferry pose in front of their storefront which will have its grand opening on Saturday.

MARTINS FERRY — Local entrepreneur Chris Gyroko is opening Studio 740 with his friends and family.

Studio 740 is a women’s clothing and fashion boutique that aims to provide the Martins Ferry area with a plethora of ladies’ clothing and accessories. Opening day is Saturday with operating hours from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m.

“I’ve always had a thing for fashion, and my girlfriend was a model for years,” Gyroko said.

His girlfriend, La’Wanada Cox, is no stranger to the retail industry. She is the former owner and operator of The Shinediner, which was located at the Fourth Street Shopping Plaza. Although the Shinediner closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cox is putting her experience to good use by working as assistant manager of Studio 740.

“The pandemic happened and things didn’t turn out as good, financially and everything. But we kind of sat around and saw that there was a little bit of a niche around here for something like this,” Gyroko said.

He added that he also believes residents around the Martins Ferry area who might not have reliable transportation to stores at The Highlands in Triadelphia or the Ohio Valley Mall or Ohio Valley Plaza in St. Clairsville will have an easier time purchasing the clothing and accessories they want to buy.

“We’re trying to do something local for the ladies without breaking the bank at the same time,” Gyroko added.

Studio 740 store Manager Jewan Kyler has known Gyroko for several years and was approached by him to collaborate on the business.

“He presented this to me and said, ‘I need your help on running things and pooling resources,’ so that’s what we did,” Kyler said.

The store offers various ladies’ apparel such as athletic wear, casual wear, dresses, intimate wear, shorts, T-shirts, etc. Gyroko said they plan on expanding the business to eventually offer hair, nails and lash services.

“Our goal is going to be like a one-stop shop. You can come to get your nails done, get your lashes done, get your hair done, and come out to the showroom and pick out an outfit and you’re ready to hit the town for the night,” Cox said.

In addition to Studio 740’s grand opening on Saturday, it plans to have a cookout across the street from the store’s location at the Good Neighborhood Garden Gazebo to celebrate its opening.

“We talked to the owner of Breworks and the owner of State Farm who owns the parking lot and gazebo area, and we approached them and said we are doing a grand opening and it would be nice to use part of the area and he said that we could have access to the whole area,” Gyroko added. “They liked the fact that another small business is here, and small businesses should help each other in the area.”

The cookout is free and will be serving hotdogs, hamburgers, chicken, mac and cheese, baked beans and more. During the grand opening and cookout, Studio 740 will have door prizes including children’s clothing and Steve Madden purses.

Studio 740 recently donated 40 dance uniforms to Studio MC Performing Arts Center, located in Centre Market in Wheeling.

The location of the store is 413 Hanover Street, and its hours of operation are 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon until 5 p.m. Sunday.