California Apparel News

SAN MATEO, Calif.—Up and down the aisles that displayed wide-open booths with rows of brightly colored women’s apparel and accessories, retailers shopping Fashion Market Northern California were unflinching about their positive attitude.

Ruth Ann Bowdon, owner of Bowdon Design in picturesque Healdsburg, Calif., said her sales this year are up 5 percent over last year. Sales may not be shooting through the roof, but they are up. “We’re not rocking,” she said. “But it feels like we are fine.”

The same held true for Parvin Afkami, whose Patina store in Berkeley, Calif., caters to a well-educated woman between the ages of 30 and 60 who lives in the university town. “People are buying in moderation and being optimistic,” she said. “But customers think before they shop and ask themselves whether they need it or not.”

That kind of shopping attitude had Afkami selecting her merchandise wisely to make sure the items she stocks are sure winners. “You can’t afford to make a mistake these days,” she noted.

Restrained optimism was the prevailing theme at the five-times-a-year trade show, held at the San Mateo Event Center.

August is not the event’s strongest show because it is held only days after all the major apparel and accessories trade markets take place in Las Vegas. But the 106 exhibitors participating in the Holiday/Early Spring show Aug. 28–30 had a brisk first day and were pleased with the number of orders being written. “I have opened up seven new stores, and that is great for an August show,” said Kathy Barrett of Kathy Barrett Selections. She sells primarily colorful leather handbags made in Paraguay under the Leaders in Leather label and jewelry made in Guatemala under the Mayan Creations brand. “The body count is less, but I think people are more relaxed and can spend time with you,” she said.

Everyone at the show reported a flood of buyers the first day, which was a Sunday. Traffic tapered off a bit on Monday due in part to C.A.L.A., the Contemporary Association of Los Angeles apparel show, starting that Monday at the St. Francis Hotel in downtown San Francisco.

Suzanne De Groot, executive director of Fashion Market Northern California, said the August show is about half the size of the other San Mateo shows. But it is still an important market for retailers who don’t want to travel to Las Vegas or Los Angeles to do their buying. “It was well-received. People did well,” she said.

Craig Nadeau, who has a showroom at the California Market Center in Los Angeles, never misses a show. “This is an important market for me,” said the sales representative for updated lines such as Hanna G, Tulip and A People United. “I have a good following in the wine country and in the general San Francisco area.” Nadeau also sees other California customers from Merced, Fresno and Modesto.

Barbara Nogg, who has a showroom in the Gerry Building in Los Angeles, used to occasionally do the show, but now she attends all five shows because it has turned into a good market for her. “We have buyers up here that don’t go to Los Angeles or Vegas,” she said. “This is a writing show.” She was booking orders for 9/30 and 10/30.

Bea Gorman, who shares her Salt & Pepper Sales showroom in the Gerry Building with Emmalena Bland, was extremely busy throughout the show. She and her business partner recently picked up a new Italian line called Oblique, with sophisticated silhouettes and high-end Italian fabric. They were doing quite well with the line, which wholesales for $70 to $200. “We have worked steadily since we got here,” she said while rearranging garments on the rack after they had been taken down to show buyers.

Lyn Baskett, vice president of sales for Neon Buddha and Pure Handknit, based in Canada, said she had an amazing show. “We are coming out of a record-breaking Monday,” she said. “You hear about all this gloom and doom, but we are not feeling it,” she said, noting that her lines’ reasonable wholesale price points, which range from $18 to $65, hit a sweet spot.

Buyers were definitely looking for clothing that would retail for under $100. They were also searching for uniqueness. One by one, sales representatives observed that retailers were hunting for must-have items that flew off the rack. “I think they are looking for ’wow’ and something they can feel comfortable presenting to their customers,” Baskett said.

Bowdon said her strategy for toughing out the economy has been to stick to her open-to-buy and stock goods, which won’t break the bank. Her merchandise retails for $40 to $250.

Her merchandising philosophy is to reject all items that don’t appeal to her immediately. She only stocks goods that shoppers will not hesitate to buy. “We are looking for slam-dunk items where you take something off the rack, clutch it to your breast and say, ’I have to have this.’”