Westwood Location Closing (But We’re Not!) March 31, 2009

Cross-posted from our Myspace blog:

Hi Everyone,

Well, after one year, our LA kiosk is closing.

Ironically, at a time when so many independent boutiques are going under, the Westwood store is NOT a victim of the economy.

As many of you already know, our Westwood kiosk is in Native Foods’ rear alcove. Native Foods now has investors who are taking the business to the next level – the chain could even go global one day. One of the changes being implemented is an expansion of Native’s own retail sales (prepared food, books, etc. – but they won’t have shoes!), and since they need the alcove space for that, we are packing up and getting out of their hair.

There have been some rumors that we are going out of business. They are NOT TRUE. (By the way, we have a pretty good idea of who is spreading the rumors, so please knock it off. Gossiping is so tacky and vulgar!) We are just closing the smaller of our two locations because Native needs the space.

We have discussed opening a full-size store in LA (or just moving the flagship), but given the cost of opening a store in such a high-rent market, we feel it would be prudent to wait until the economy is in better shape. (Of course, if any other animal-friendly businesses in LA would like to have a Humanitaire kiosk, please let us know. )

Due to varying scheduling issues, we will have to empty the shelves this Sunday, April 5. If you live in LA, this is your last to shop in-store with us without having to make the drive down to Orange County. (As LA natives, we have to wonder – why do so many Angelenos hate OC? Yes, it’s a long drive, but the traffic is so much lighter and there’s ample parking almost everywhere. )

Bottom line: get your shopping done by Sunday afternoon, ’cause that’s when we’re clearing the shelves. All unsold Westwood stock will be taken to our Costa Mesa flagship store.

Thank you all for supporting our Westwood mini-store. We hope to see you all in Costa Mesa soon!

- The Shoe Lady

Sneak Previews (of sorts) September 10, 2008

One of the most fun parts of my job is buying the next season’s stock.

It’s also one of the most challenging.

Some suppliers will send a sales representative to the flagship store, but for others I have to go to the trade shows or visit a showroom. The semi-annual World Shoes Accessories trade show in Las Vegas can be a lot of fun (despite the heat, secondhand smoke, and lots of walking in one or two convention centers plus the Venetian), and beats printing line sheets from the store computer. I did skip it this summer, though, because of schedule issues.

Other challenges involve putting aside what I’d buy for my personal wardrobe and taking a stab at what will sell best. No store can stay open for long if it isn’t making enough money. Despite the popular image of vegans and vegetarians as tattooed young hipsters or scruffy aging hippies, I have a lot of somewhat conventional, middle class customers with very ordinary jobs. What can they wear that looks professional enough for work, nice enough for dinner with Grandma, or fun enough for a night on the town? There’s a certain amount of guesswork involved, based in part on current trends and based in part on what has sold well or poorly in the past. I’ve stopped carrying certain things that I assumed would sell but didn’t. One glaring example was vegan cowboy boots. It took a year to sell 24 pairs, most of them on clearance. I won’t make that mistake again.

Deciding how many of something to buy can be challenging, too. If it’s something we just have to have but which not everyone would like, we’ll do one or two. If we’re sure something will be popular we order more. Sometimes bags have to be ordered in pairs or quartets, and one shoe supplier will only sell us shoes in case packs of 12 to 15, so we have to keep that in mind, too. It can get a little frustrating when we sell out of one size (usually 8 or 10) right away and then can’t get more because our supplier only made so many packs.

So, on Monday I got to preview the Spring 2009 Matt & Nat collection. It’s a good thing I’m not too far from LA, since I had to drive to the Fashion District downtown, park in a paid lot, walk a few sweaty blocks to the Cooper Building (it gets really hot in downtown LA), and find the showroom.

I already printed one of the look books from the store computer, but a) the printer has a tendency to distort colors, and b) sometimes it really is important to see the actual merchandise. This is especially the case with bags. The two sides of the Portishead bag, for example, tend to flop open when the bag is not being carried, and a lot of people don’t like that. I wouldn’t have bought as many as I did if I’d been able to see the actual bag first, but there was no area sales rep at the time and I couldn’t go to the trade show. Fortunately, the new version of the Portishead will have a tab with a snap closure, eliminating the problem.

The showroom was a sleek, modern space that was easily bigger than my flagship store. Not to mention posh – not all showrooms have Eames chairs and Parsons tables. I’m not about to tell you *everything* (yet, anyway) but I will give you a few clues:

• Japanese paper bags will be back again, and in some great colors.
• A fabric similar to Japanese Paper will also be incorporated.
• While big bags are not going anywhere, not all of the spring bags will be as huge as in recent seasons. A few will be downright dainty.
• If you like the antiqued or pebble-finish faux leather, don’t wait for too long to invest in one.
• Over the next few seasons, expect the company to delve deeper into recyclables and sustainable materials. Matt & Nat intends to eventually move away from PVC.
• Guys: bags designed with the animal-loving metrosexual in mind will be available in the first-ever men’s bag collection. (I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner, given that the company was founded over 10 years ago and by a man.) Some of the bags are gender-neutral enough to share with your sister, too.

So, this weekend I’ve got to go over my notes and decide what to order, and the fall collection hasn’t even arrived yet. Maybe it’s for the best; inspecting and tagging bags is a big job and it couldn’t hurt to get the ordering out of the way.