King of Kitsch
With a hot dog–shaped Oscar Mayer Wienermobile parked out front, the Paul Frank Store opened at Las Vegas’ Fashion Show Mall on Aug. 31 with an event that rolled out the red carpet for everything kitsch.
But how can anyone keep kitsch fresh in a town that’s home to the Liberace Museum and the Elvis-A-Rama Museum? Ryan Heuser, Paul Frank Industries Inc. co-founder and chief executive, said he thinks his company’s new store fits like a hand in the proverbial glove.
“We have a kitschy nature to our brand,” Heuser said. “We can bring a tongue-in-cheek kitsch to a city that understands it.”
The big kitsch statement for the store opening came when Paul Frank himself appeared wearing an Oscar Mayer wiener costume in the event’s fashion show, which showcased the company’s Spring 2005 collection, including T-shirts and accessories with Oscar Mayer logos.
One product made specifically for the Las Vegas store was a T-shirt with Sin City images of dice and horseshoes. Items carried in all 14 Paul Frank stores include everything from $2 key chains to $350 bicycles. Women’s cashmere sweaters are priced at $140. Denim sells for $68, and polo shirts go for approximately $46.
The look of the 1,400- square-foot store is a cross between that of the stores that Paul Frank designed and that of the company’s South Coast Plaza store in Costa Mesa, Calif., designed by award-winning architect Giorgio Borruso. In the Las Vegas store, a mural of Paul Frank characters, posing like Rat Pack–era Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., adorns the back wall.
Heuser said his company may open new stores in Paris, Amsterdam, Sydney and Milan in 2005. The company is also considering opening a few new stores in the United States. —Andrew Asch
