Trance Debuts in Manhattan Beach
David Oliver and partner Susan Lee, formerly of the Ames Ladies Wear chain of boutiques, debuted their newest retail concept since selling the Ames stores to Da-Rue of California in early 2005.
On March 1, the pair, which left Da-Rue in September, opened Trance, a boutique for the 30-plus set, at 310 Manhattan Beach Blvd. in Manhattan Beach, Calif., on the city’s main drag.
As a new mother, Lee said she saw a lack of stores that catered to mothers who want to be fashionable but don’t want to squeeze into skinny jeans or follow teenybopper trends.
The 600-square-foot store is packed with approximately 30 brands, including Paige Premium Denim, A.G. jeans, Grail, Norma Kamali and Royal Plush. Trance’s key categories include premium denim, cocktail dresses, casual T-shirts, blazers and jackets ranging in price from $30 to $800.
Despite the other boutiques that dot the boulevard, Oliver said Trance doesn’t have much direct competition. Trance’s offerings are less trendy and more classic and casual. While other shops play to the mod trend and splashy colors of the beach lifestyle, Trance offers washed leather jackets, muted colors and chunky jewelry. The affluent beach community seemed like a natural match for the store’s upscale concept. “It’s a small town, but it packs a lot of buying power,” Lee said.
With more than 60 years of retail experience between them—Oliver’s father launched the Ames chain, and Lee was the vice president of stores for Da-Rue—Trance is the culmination of their experience in the industry. “Now we want to focus on doing the best of the best and have fun with what we’re doing,” Oliver said.
Despite their background in chain boutiques, Lee and Oliver said they would rather focus on a single store where they can be creative than open a chain of Trance stores. —Erin Barajas
