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Profit is Always in Style
Westchester apparel retailers use a personal touch to attract and keep customers, whileTfighting off online competitors. By Dave Donelson
he deadliest duo in retailing is nity for error, since fashion retailers low margins and fickle tastes, face significant fixed costs and essen- a combo that pretty much tially reinvent their merchandise mix sums up the apparel business. every season, ordering goods they Add growing competition hope will sell as much as a year in from online merchants, and advance. Success requires an inter-
you can readily see why Westchester esting ability to read minds and pre-
Shopping as entertainment is big for cus- tomers at LOLA New York in White Plains. Women come in for a break from their busy days, says co-owner Dawn Pasacreta.
the world for different designers be- cause we don’t want the humdrum designers that are in every depart- ment store. That way, we have a niche product that entices everyone.”
Staying on Trend
Today’s retailer has to keep up with trends in the industry, since they help point the way to what will sell and what won’t. “I have always been an avid reader of various fash- ion magazines, and I always leave events such as New York Fashion Week inspired by what new trends and pieces I can offer my customers,” says Lynn Puro, owner of March Boutique, a Briarcliff Manor shop that she describes as a bit of SoHo in Westchester. “This allows me to con- tinuously offer my customers their favorite classics with a fashionable twist that keeps them up-to-date while staying true to their style.”
Zuckerman, who sells both men’s and women’s fashions, says men’s styles don’t change as rapidly. “For women, though, there are cropped jeans and skinny jeans and boyfriend jeans and flare jeans, and you never know what will be next. But when you live and breathe it all day, you realize what will catch on.”
Local retailers need to be cautious about embracing trends, however, since Westchester shoppers aren’t always the first to grab the cutting edge. “Our customer is fashionable but not all that fashion-forward,” explains Dawn Pasacreta, co-owner of LOLA New York, a mid-priced fashion boutique in White Plains. “We follow the fashion magazines, but sometimes they’re over the top. Pleather is a good example. Last year, it was big, so we bought some pleather pants for Christmas. They took awhile to sell. This year, we bought pleather in the fall, and it was gone in a week.”
Moving the merchandise quick- ly is crucial for apparel retailers’ success. Patty Palmieri, owner of LV2BFIT, a leisurewear store in Rye Brook, says, “I don’t want to be a museum. I need turnover. There are vendors I don’t do business with anymore because their merchandise
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clothiers face a constant scramble for strategies to succeed.
“My customers, because they’re savvy, will also shop stores in Manhattan, but my biggest competitor is the Internet,” explains Adam Zuckerman, owner of Z Life Denim Lounge, a trendy shop in the Rye Ridge Plaza that caters to denim- obsessed 30- and 40-somethings. “Delivery in a day, free shipping; it’s all tough. But then, what’s easy these days?”
Certainly not the local retail-ap- parel business. Net-profit margins in the industry run under 7 percent, which doesn’t leave much room for error. But there is plenty of opportu-
dict the future.
“It’s not about guessing,” insists
Lori Land, co-owner of Churchills of Mount Kisco, a designer cloth- ing and accessories boutique. “Be- cause I’m on the selling floor every day and know my customers on a first-name basis, I know the col- ors and palettes they love; I know what’s been selling. I’m not going to buy a bunch of green sweaters even though they’re on the fashion fore- cast. My clients hate green! So I’m going to buy gray and brown and purple.”
With so much competition, it’s es- sential to differentiate your store, ac- cording to Land. “We shop all over
THE BUSINESS OF: Retail Apparel