Elements that make a great Men's Store

[Nicola]

Great clothes that stink of smoke. Why not have people fart in everything to?

 

[Cary Grant]

They're not your age demo but there are some decent men's stores right? I haven't been to Denver in a couple of years but what about Lawrence Covell, Homer reed, Andrisen Morton...

All of them sell the higher(est) men's brands including Lobb etc. Are have they all gone under in the last 24 months? There's not a singl;e store like that anywhere in the Twin Cities even though it is much larger than the Denver metro.

 

[Dakota rube]

I am quite surprised no one's suggested scantily-clad female sales associates.

 

[unjung]

Customer service in this case would be sales staff who can read a customer quickly - do they know why they're in the store? Are they looking for a specific item/brand? Or could they use some gentle coaching? Sales staff shouldn't be in your face, but they should also be confident. I like a salesperson who walks upright, has a long stride, lets me know they're available to assist if I need anything, and who briefly mentions any sales or new items they have that are relevant based on what they can see that I'm already wearing. For me a boutique means separate displays for separate brands. There are enough interesting products out there that most men don't know about, that you could feature a good number. Hire a PR firm or do your own PR work, and get lots of media coverage. Start a blog. Bring in American-made products and sell them based on that aspect. Given that you're in Colorado, for the winter season there's no reason not to bring in everything from good overshoes to heavy parkas (Canada Goose). You could carry inexpensive but quality watches (anything from Seiko automatics to Stowa). I can also see arranging a deal with TaT to do MTM suits. Have TaT or a similar company do a private label for you. Good luck. Denver is a nice enough city but I suspect it has more than its share of mid-Western/Rocky mountain hicks. I would have a similar challenge if I started a store up here. I also have some concern that the people who know better than to wear AX, Ed Hardy and Seven jeans are also the people who know how to buy what they want online.

Originally Posted by Dakota rube

I am quite surprised no one's suggested scantily-clad female sales associates.
Most women don't know men's clothing. This has been established. I think trying to sell the clothes with attractive women and ESPN on flat-screens demeans the whole purpose. It's like you're trying to pull a fast one on the shopper.

 

[radicaldog]

Knowledgeable but not snobby staff would be a start, and a rare treat for the customers. Everything else is perhaps more important, but also more subjective.

 

[jefe]

Originally Posted by Cary Grant

They're not your age demo but there are some decent men's stores right? I haven't been to Denver in a couple of years but what about Lawrence Covell, Homer reed, Andrisen Morton...

All of them sell the higher(est) men's brands including Lobb etc. Are have they all gone under in the last 24 months? There's not a singl;e store like that anywhere in the Twin Cities even though it is much larger than the Denver metro.

All those stores are still around, but he's right about Denver lacking anything remotely high-end for streetwear/workwear/tailored-but-outside-of-the-highest-end... I can't speak to the Twin Cities, but Denver has a lot of old family dough, rich Texans and Californians and new oil and real estate money, so I would assume that's who supports the Cherry Creek area. The anchor mall to the area has some of the highest sales per square foot relative to any mall in the country (can't find the rankings, but it's top 20).

But, the OP has a good idea because in spite of the 'good' mall shopping and high-end menswear, you can't buy a pair of decent jeans in this town...

 

[Dakota rube]

Originally Posted by unjung

Most women don't know men's clothing. This has been established. I think trying to sell the clothes with attractive women and ESPN on flat-screens demeans the whole purpose. It's like you're trying to pull a fast one on the shopper.

It's not like the scantily-clad female sales associates would be expected to actually be knowledgeable. Just hawt.

And scantily-clad.

I nominate pocketsquareguy to do the hiring.

 

[DoTheGrownup]

Originally Posted by Cary Grant

All of them sell the higher(est) men's brands including Lobb etc. Are have they all gone under in the last 24 months? There's not a singl;e store like that anywhere in the Twin Cities even though it is much larger than the Denver metro.

Not that I'm a fan of the store, but I think Hubert White in Minneapolis pretty much fits into this category. They carry Canali, Zegna, Talbott, etc...

 

[antirabbit]

Originally Posted by DoTheGrownup

Not that I'm a fan of the store, but I think Hubert White in Minneapolis pretty much fits into this category. They carry Canali, Zegna, Talbott, etc...

Hubert White carries everything say Nordies carries.

I hate these stores, I do not want service to purchase something I can get at Nordies, NM, Saks, etc.

What Foo said about a well edited selection that reflects a high level of taste is key.
If you can provide little known brands you can focus on quality and inject service into the process you will create a better educated consumer that will come to you for a uniqe group of brands on a a consistent basis. I would avoid too many private labels as they can languish. I would offer say Private for a line of suits and shirts (with seperates), but perhaps have it co-labeled.
From there seek quality that embodies your vision of clothes, but if it is Hickey Freeman/Robert Talbot/Canali/Zegna/Southwick/HSM....I would not be interested. That is all over and being done and slowly failing.

 

[TexasLidig8r]

You could always come down to Dallas to see "Pockets." ... a great store.

 

[MetroStyles]

Good brands
Good service (knowledgeable, attentive, non-hovering - step into a Paul Stuart and do NOT do what they do)
Discounts

It's just me personally, but I just don't buy stuff at full price.

 

[Suede Chukka Norris]

Texas,

Pockets is a bit bland, no? The people are nice and they carry good stuff, but the overall experience feels pretty mall-ish to me.

 

[TheFoo]

Originally Posted by MetroStyles

Good brands
Good service (knowledgeable, attentive, non-hovering - step into a Paul Stuart and do NOT do what they do).

What, you mean hover and yet not attend to you? It's quite the formula for customer service they've got.

 

[Mr. Moo]

Don't hire creeps for sales associates. Just stand there and if I ask you something, answer it. Stop hovering/"casually" following me around. That is the worst.

 

[TheDroog]

I don't consider myself a typical SF shopper, and I think my proclivities should help your store relate to the other 95% of shoppers out there (ie. non-clothes geeks)

1. Knowledgeable salesmen are nice but not needed: I don't talk to salespeople when I shop. I browse around by myself and see what fits. I'll only talk to a salesman if I can't find something in my size.

2. Offer a wide-price range: I hate shops where everything costs over $200. $200 for a t-shirt? Sorry, I'm not even going to walk into a store like that. Offer a range of prices and brands. If I see you've got nice $10 watch bands, $20 shirts, $50 ties, $300 shoes, and $2000 suits, yes, I will come in and browse.

3. Inviting look and feel: I'm not a big fan of those Soho boutiques were there are a row of clothes on each wall, hung up like museum pieces, the clerk watching me from a desk all the way in the back. It feels antiseptic, dead. I want to feel comfortable touching the garments and walking around. Interesting furniture, art, and lighting will help in this endeavor. I read recently about a cool t-shirt shop that displays all its stamping and inking machinery. I like that idea, that the store is more than just a store, that it's a factory too.

4. Well-edited selection: Yes on this. I like the idea of a clear aesthetic vision at work. That's one reason why I like Army-Navy stores (military). That's also why I like walking into Ralph Lauren (preppy Americana).