Once Smitten, Twice Buy
A grown woman walked into Smitten with a pair of kids’ snowboard boots. She had bought them at a snowboard shop, where the all-male staff had been clueless about how to fit a female customer. Not only were the boots unstylish for the slopes, they were a safety hazard.
Smitten owners Liza Sacilioc and Sharon Baltazar have heard many similar horror stories from their rapidly growing customer base. The two founded Smitten—the nation’s only women’s snowboarding shop, as far as they know—last October in Pasadena, Calif., to not only bring fashionable alpine apparel under one roof but also to create a comfortable environment for female snowboarders, whether expert or novice. In the male-oriented world of boardsports shops, women are often uncomfortable being fitted for boots or asking for a larger apparel size, Baltazar said.
Women are the fastest-growing segment of the snowboarding market and now number 39 percent of snowboarders, according to Sacilioc. Different in size and weight than men, they have different equipment needs. They also want more choices in snowboarding apparel.Smitten’s merchandise is split evenly between snowboards and boots and apparel and accessories.
Sacilioc formerly worked in marketing, and Baltazar was a set decorator for films. They became friends when their husbands introduced them to snowboarding.
The store is already drawing customers who don’t snowboard but enjoy wearing the clothes as winter fashion. Avid skiers are also coming for snowboard-specific apparel, which tends to be looser, bulkier and more streetinfluenced in its styling.
“Something we wanted to do to make Smitten more of a boutique was to carry lines you don’t find everywhere,” Baltazar said. Tankfarm and Nikita are two lines that hold equal appeal to fashionistas and boardsports enthusiasts, she noted.
Camouflage, pink and puffy fur-lined jackets are currently hot for the slopes. For Spring, Smitten will be adding the Gentle Fawn line, as well as sneakers by Gallaz and Gravis. “We plan to carry comfortable and hip urban streetwear,” Sacilioc said.
And in an act of poetic justice, men are checking out Smitten and becoming jealous of the variety and stylish ambience. Said Baltazar, “They look around and say, ’How come guys don’t have a shop like this?’”
Baltazar and Sacilioc said they hope to expand their retail locations. For more information, visit www.smittenboardshop.com.
—Christian M. Chensvold
