Second Babystyle Location Opens
E Style Inc. is adding another brick to its clicks.
The predominantly online apparel company, which was started four years ago in Los Angeles, is opening its second babystyle store, on May 24, at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, Calif.
The company, founded by Laurie McCartney, chief executive officer, opened its first brick-and-mortar outlet last November in Manhattan Beach, Calif.
“The Orange County area surrounding Fashion Island is a particularly strong market for us as we’ve determined from our own data base,” McCartney explained. “That coupled with the general demographics of the area, strong average household income, attractive birthrate and strong family community appealed to us.”
The 3,300-square-foot store will carry the same baby clothes and maternity clothes found on its Web site, babystyle.com, and in its catalogs. That includes babystyle branded apparel as well as a selection of other brands and specialty items.
Tom Park, the company’s president, said the firm wanted to open two stores in Southern California, evaluate the results and decide whether to branch out nationally in 2004. The company is locating its stores in predominantly upscale family-oriented neighborhoods where consumers have more disposable income to spend on apparel.
E Style was founded in 1999 with $15 million in venture capital from various funds, including Vulcan Inc. in Seattle, started by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and Zone Ventures in Los Angeles. —Deborah Belgum
