Metropark's First Hurdle
The hard part of retailing just started for Metropark, Orv Madden’s new concept store headquartered in City of Industry, Calif.
The relatively easy part was establishing the mission for this four-store chain, which debuted in early October. Madden wanted to bring the style of downtown boutiques to suburban shopping centers. The goal was partially achieved by the chain’s hipster interior design, which includes small lounges where new artists hang paintings.
But long-term success depends on nailing down the perfect product mix for the store’s demographic, 20- to 35-year-old men and women. Finding a good formula is going to take testing and fine tuning, according to Lisa Anderson, Metropark’s merchant for women’s apparel.
Anderson said the company is still gathering information about its customers.
“Is she going to be the first on her block to buy the newest trends?” she asked. “We’re still finding that out.”
Anderson and her colleagues have some good leads on the final shape of their product mix. One of those leads is outerwear, which Anderson reported to be among the top sellers during the first month of business at Metropark’s store at the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, Calif.
For women, fleece jackets from Canadabased Industry are a big hit. Price points start at $68 for a French terry hooded zip-up jacket with kangaroo pockets.
Blazers are popular with guys. Metropark’s selection ranges from the store’s private- label blazer ($159) to a blazer made by Netherlands-based G-Star ($230) and a twobutton blazer with fleur-de-lis elbow-patch appliqueacute;s ($290) from Howe Denim of Huntington Beach, Calif.
Anderson likes the outerwear trend because it crosses her demographic categories. She’s also looking for lines that complement each other.
“Buyers not only focus on guys and girls walking out of the store with the latest trends,” she said. “They want these clothes to show up at the same party.” —Andrew Asch
