California Apparel News

When Tray Hayslette decided to open a lingerie store in Southern California, she scouted several popular retail neighborhoods—including West Third Street, Fairfax Avenue and Encino—before selecting a space on Main Street in downtown Los Angeles.

“There are no lingerie stores like mine in downtown—and there aren’t that many in LA,” said

Hayslette, who opened LaTres Lingerie last year and said she wanted visitors to her store to feel like they’re “stepping into a woman’s boudoir.”

“I love girly things, I love lace, I love nice lingerie,” Hayslette said. “Women should always have beautiful lingerie no matter what they’re doing”

When Hayslette opened LaTres at 111 W. Seventh St., she also launched her e-commerce site (www.latreslingerie.com).

The boutique and online shop carry lingerie brands Mimi Holliday, Maison Lejaby, Private Arts, Addiction Nouvelle, Splendid and Spanx. New collections ordered for spring include Cosabella, Eberjay, For Love and Lemons, Stella and Zimmerli.

The boutique also carries loungewear, tights, candles, books and massage oil—“things you can’t find in a Victoria’s Secret.” In spring and summer, the store carries swimwear, as well. Hayslette’s online shop saw a nice boost for JimmyJane massage-oil candles when the brand was featured on a recent episode of the HBO show “Girls.”

When Hayslette teamed up with LivingSocial, she saw her traffic shoot up to 2,000 visitors on the day that the daily-deals website offered a discount voucher for her boutique and website. One customer arrived at the store with a $50 coupon and purchased $350 in lingerie, Hayslette said.

“It shows me people are really interested in lingerie,” she said.

Hayslette specializes in providing plenty of customer service, educating women about the brands she sells, carrying special sizes or special ordering if it’s out of stock, and wrapping every item sold in pretty tissue paper like a gift—whether it’s a high-end item or a less-expensive item.

The average price for a bra and panty set is $60, although LaTres has higher-end items that sell for up to $180.

“I also have five-for-$20 panties everyday,” Hayslette said. “I don’t care if you’re buying $4 panties, I want to make it look nice and special.”

Because she’s based in downtown LA, Hayslette can easily shop the Los Angeles Fashion District for new brands and replacement orders. She also scouts for new independent designers. One recent example is the Los Angeles–based eco lingerie collection Claire Bare, which Hayslette is adding to her inventory. She also shops the CurvExpo trade shows in Las Vegas and New York.

“I do a lot of research,” Hayslette said. “I’ll call lingerie stores in Paris or Portland to make sure I get a lot of information—to see what women are buying.”