by The Editors on May 27, 2010
Action sports retail has been headed for the showroom model for years. Sadly, the only way this really works is when the retail stores are owned by the manufacturers who are selling the product. That’s exactly why we’re expecting to see a lot more deals like today’s announcement in the Orange County Business Journal that Billabong has purchased all five Becker Surf locations.
Sounds like a nice addition to their retail stable which already includes Beachworks, Swell.com, and their Billabong stores.
For retailers it seems one of the best exit strategies. And for major labels it means owning the distribution chain all the way to the consumer.
[Link: Orange County Business Journal and Apparel News.net]
by The Editors on May 7, 2010
Skate Park of Tampa’s Ryan Clements and his fiance Jenna Becker will be featured on an upcoming episode of Home & Garden TV’s Battle On The Block reality interior design show.
The show pits neighbors against each other to see who can come up with the best room. Here is how their show is being pitched:
In this episode, three families in the hip urban neighborhood of Ybor City in Tampa, FL, compete to redesign and renovate their master bedrooms. . . .Newly engaged Ryan and Jenna are desperate to create a soothing bedroom that reflects their hip style, but their bold color choices threaten to make their bedroom more zoo than Zen.
According to an email sent out to friends Ryan loves the new bedroom, but wonders how the show will turn out:
The worst was that HGTV literally ran our lives for five days (interviews, show prep, filming, etc.) and the best part is that we got an absolutely amazing, completely free master bedroom out of the deal,” he said. “This is my official disclaimer that I have no idea how we’re going to be portrayed on the show since we signed our lives away and have no control over the outcome. Jenna thinks that she’s going to be labeled as the ‘dumb blonde’ and my fear is that they’re going to make me look like a semi-retarded, anal-retentive, obsessive-compulsive, conspiracy-theorist, maniac.”
The Clements family bedroom episode airs May 15, 2010. Set your Tivos.
[Link: Battle On The Block]
by The Editors on May 7, 2010
by The Editors on April 29, 2010
On Saturday, April 24, 2010, Shane Wallace invited a few people to Rancho Cucamonga, California for the soft-launch opening of OK Skate’s first retail showroom. It was a chance to show everyone what he and the OK Skate crew have been working on for the past six months.
Located on a frontage street near Interstate 15 just North of Interstate 10, the warehouse/ office/ showroom combo is in that strange zone between the Eastern edge of Los Angeles sprawl and the Western front of the Inland Empire. The business park that houses OK Skate is a few blocks from the nearest retail center, but signs on the upstairs windows are visible from the southbound lanes of the freeway. Commuters who continue further south can’t help but notice the large Active Ride Shop warehouse on the opposite side of the 15. The location is likely no accident, though Shane says it was chosen based on “area demographics.”
OK Skate marks Wallace’s return to retail after the Active Ride Shop bankruptcy and subsequent sale pulled the rug out from under much of the industry last March. Between greeting friends at the door, putting final tweaks on the POS system, and watching kids skate the showroom’s mini ramp, Shane had time to sneak upstairs to his office above the shop for a short interview to discuss what OK Skate is, how it came about, and what they have planned for the future.
Follow the jump for photos and the entire interview.
[Editors’ Note April 30, 2010: After reading the interview for the first time online, Shane had a few things to add. We have placed those comments at the end of the interview.]
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on April 22, 2010
Shane Wallace appears to have been busy these past few months. We’re not spilling all the details, but if you want to keep a little closer tabs on everything going down at OK Skate in Rancho Cucamonga, California it might not be a bad idea to follow them at @okskatecom and on facebook.
Ok Skate’s grand opening is May 8, 2010, but we’ll keep you posted.
[Link: OK Skate]
by The Editors on April 7, 2010
If you do a little funky math it would appear that March was amazing for core mall retailer Zumiez. Their total sales for the five-week period ended April 3, 2010 were up 20.1 percent to $35.8 million vs $29.8 million in 2009 and their same store comps were up 13.2%. For comparison, same store comps were down 17.9% for the same period in 2009.
Either the economy is turning around or people have just said screw it and are blowing what little money they have left on iPads and logo Ts.
[Link: CNN/Money]
by The Editors on April 6, 2010
Santa Cruz, California’s Paradise Surf Shop opened in 1997 with what was a bit of a new idea for surf shops: it was a core surf shop for active women owned by women. And for the last 13 years it has been just that. But on March 28, 2010 Paradise Surf closed it’s brick and mortar shop and will live only online, according to a story in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Anna Macken, who bought Paradise Surf Shop in 2008, closed March 28 “with mixed feelings,” citing “shifts in our lives” as the reason, according to an e-mail she sent to customers. She is still selling surf gear for women at Paradise Surf’s Web site, reasoning an online store could be easier for busy people to navigate. . . “We believe it is absolutely possible to continue fostering our community of women who surf, even if the physical store we used as a hub no longer bears our name,” her e-mail said.
Sad to see another good shop go, but we hear the future is digital.
[Link: Santa Cruz Sentinel]
by The Editors on March 22, 2010
While jetting through the Sydney International Airport Empire Ave.’s Lincoln spotted this little Nixon Sound Lounge, according to a post on the blog.
I guess you could call it a pop up store in a word, but fuck it was impressive! So the set up basically gives you the complete Nixon experience and seeing so many of Nixon’s products tie in with traveling, it seemed a no brainer to put this little gem together! . . One side is devoted to bringing the noise, headphones silly! While the other is all about telling the time! Whilst trying out various styles from their latest headphone collection, your nestled up on a comfortable couch watching the odd clip or two on the TV. Then you do a 360 and on the other side there is close to a complete range of their latest and greatest timepiece offerings.
Looks like a nice spot to rest up before diving into wilds of the Goldie for sure. Click the link for more photos.
[Link: Empire Ave.]
by The Editors on March 22, 2010
by The Editors on March 17, 2010
Steve Murray, 49, the former President of VF Corp’s Action Sports Coalition (Vans and Reef) is leaving the company to become President of Urban Outfitters, according to a release posted on CNN/Money.
“Steve is more than we expected with his vast global experience and brilliant track record in growing lifestyle brands and retail concepts. He is a perfect fit for Urban Outfitters, and brings tremendous creativity and leadership to our organization, along with a deep familiarity of global youth culture from his nearly two decades of work with the Vans and Reebok brands. I am thrilled to have Steve join our executive team and am confident he will play a pivotal role in the future development of the Urban Outfitters brand and URBN,” said UO’s CEO Glen T. Senk.
Seems like the perfect time for a career switch up. Murray had a great ride at Vans as the affordable shoes came back into style and numbers bloomed all around. Now, diving into retail, Murray will land first into one of the roughest segments in the fashion business. It’s hard to believe retail could get any worse, but we wouldn’t bet against against it. We wish him the best of luck.
For all the details, follow the jump.
[click to continue…]
