OTHER NEWS - May 3, 1993

Saks Fifth Sues Sacks Thrift: Saks Fifth Avenue, the giant New York-based retailer, is suing a small San Diego secondhand store called Sacks Thrift Avenue, claiming trademark infringement and unfair competition. The suit, filed in federal court in San Diego, claims Beatrice Hill, the thrift store’s owner and only employee, is using the name Sacks Thrift Avenue to confuse the public and trade on Saks’ name. It calls on her to cease and desist using the name. Hill, who has been operating the store under the Sacks name since she bought it in 1986, said she started getting letters last year from lawyers saying the company would take legal action unless she stopped using the name. Hill’s small shop in a working-class neighborhood of San Diego takes in used clothes and sells them on consignment. In a good year, Hill said, her net is about $15,000.