The Circle Finds Gold in Overstock
Brian Watson had limited his fashion retailing to weekend sales of overstock and samples from indie labels such as Monah Li and Grey Ant. But on May 10, the public relations executive took the plunge into running a boutique full time.
Watson and partners Sarah Yellin and Rich Carmichael opened The Circle at 2395 Glendale Blvd. in Los Angeles’s Silverlake neighborhood. Watson, who began selling designer overstock out of his office in 2001, still offers indie designs at discounts of 40 percent to 80 percent; price points range from $15 for T-shirts to $150 for dresses. His retail stock features pieces from labels such as Mon Petit Oiseau and Nae & Audie, both of Los Angeles, and Harveys, based in Santa Ana, Calif.
Ana Henton, an architect who formerly worked for Frank Gehry, donated her services, designing a circular interior for the boutique, where designer clothes stand out against a chocolate-colored Masonite wall. The cost of building the simple space was less than $15,000. Watson and his partners estimated that they could earn $12,000 to $15,000 in the first month of business.
Watson said The Circle will launch an online division and may also build stores in other cities.
The boutique has given Watson’s concept a new lease on life. When he ran his overstock business out of his Silverlake office, he said he could not give it his full attention. Yellin and Carmichael, both Silverlake-based furniture vendors whom Watson met in 2004, will manage the store daily. —Andrew Asch
