San Francisco County’s $7.8 billion in taxable retail sales may pale in comparison with much larger Los Angeles County’s $79.4 billion, and its boutiques might not share the fame of some of their Los Angeles counterparts that turn shopping sprees from stars du jour such as Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan into major marketing opportunities.
But the City by the Bay has long prided itself on a certain restraint, and it’s banked more on its quaint vibe than glitzy, over-the-top glamour. Now more than ever, boutiques are applying this charm to create fun, eclectic and innovative spaces that entice customers as much — if not more — than the “It” item of the moment.
Brown-Eyed Girl
2120 Union Street
Recently relocated from Pacific HeightsCONFIRM, Brown-Eyed Girl occupies the only pink Victorian house on the block. Also bathed in the Pepto-Bismol hue are the hardwood floors, setting off canary yellow walls in the 1,500-square-foot shopping haven for tweens and teens.
“We always had so many high schoolers and moms coming into the other store with their daughters,” said owner Kristen Joyce. “And it was sad to see the young girls trying to fit into the bigger stuff.”
Stacking the shelves are True Religion jeans at $100, as well as C&C California T-shirts, $40; Hudson; Blue 2 (Blue Cult’s younger line), and Indies, the lower-priced line from Joe’s Jeans. Mom can even do a little shopping for herself: The store stocks sizes 7 to 14. Its slogan, “Tweens, Teens & Trends,” was intended to be all-inclusive.
Joyce is projecting sales of $900,000 for the first year, and she noted that business has already been better than anticipated. “We estimated on the high side,” she said, “and so far we’ve been right on target.”
The Blue Jeans Bar
1927 Union Street
Only a Southerner with the name Lady could so genially serve up shots of the latest must-have specialty denim from behind a saloon-style bar cleverly constructed from Victorian doors, old-growth redwood and moldings from an Indian palace.
Owner Lady Reiss first sizes up customers who step into the homey, 1,000-square-foot store, once a Laura Ashley flagship. Then she delivers a well-chosen concoction from any of 30 different denim lines, including AG Adriano Goldschmied, Yanuk, True Religion, Rock & Republic and Joe’s Jeans, as well as more obscure lines such as Kunna, Levi’s Premium Edition and Capitol Tailors. This is also the only Northern California retailer of Joe’s Jeans Gold label. Antik denim will be on tap later this year.
Related Articles
You May Also Like
Although the store, which opened last August, might be small, Reiss’ sales are not. On a good day, she said she sells from 50 to 65 pairs of jeans. Sales average about $600 a square foot.
If customers think they’re going to slink away and try on jeans anonymously, forget it. “You can’t go into a bar and not interact with the bartender,” said Reiss, a New Orleans native. But aside from the name, the closest thing one will find to alcohol at the bar is the chandelier, made from an 1880s wine-bottle drier and decorated with vintage glass liquor bottles.
Two Skirts
2124 Chestnut Street
The dramatic vaulted tin ceiling is reason enough to pop into this girly haven in the Marina District. But the crystal chandeliers, pink sofa and lush floor-to-ceiling drapery in the dressing room of this 1,800-square-foot store further help customers get in touch with their inner princess.
“We built the place around the tin tiles,” said co-owner Amanda Corzine, who left the fast-paced advertising arena to open Two Skirts with her mother-in-law, Joanne Corzine. But dramatic spaces are nothing new for the Corzine family: Joanne also has a Two Skirts boutique in Telluride, Colo., housed in an old bank building.
Clothes from Chaiken, Mint and Tracy Reese, along with Ruth, Twinkle and Lela Rose line the racks of this newest shop, which opened in October to sales of $500 to $600 a square foot.
Azalea
411 Hayes Street
This 1,500-square-foot boutique and nail bar, which opened in fall 2003, has been among the highlights of the renaissance happening in the Hayes Valley neighborhood.
“We felt like there was a need for a shopping destination that includes beauty and clothes,” said Catherine Chow, who owns the business with Corina Nurimba.
Once clients complete their mani/pedi, they can shuffle in sandaled feet over to the main floor, filled with C & C California, James Perse, Sonia by Sonia Rykiel, Louis Verdad, See by Chloé, Sass & Bide and A.P.C.
The pair started out doing mostly one-of-a-kind items by local designers but have since moved toward carrying collections, said Chow, so as not to compete with all the other Hayes Valley independent stores.
So far, the concept has proved popular. The store pulled in $400 a square foot last year and they project that will rise to $600 this year. Azalea also carries men’s clothes from Ted Baker and J.Lindeberg, among others, and has gained a following for its twice-yearly fashion shows.
Riley James
3027 Fillmore Street
“We follow more New York trends than L.A. trends,” professed Nicki Osina, owner of Riley James. “But you have to, because of the weather.”
The store, which opened in fall 2002, carries an eclectic mix of feminine and edgy styles from Rebecca Taylor, See by Chloé, L.A.M.B. by Gwen Stefani and Sass & Bide, as well as emerging local designers like Rene Huber, whose Golden Bleu handbag line, priced at $300 to $400, is a consistently hot seller, according to Osina.
The 1,500-square-foot space expanded last December, adding the nearly 1,200-square-foot store below to accommodate men’s wear lines such as Puma Silver. “We were going to do maternity,” said Osina, “but we started to notice that women would come in with their husbands and boyfriends and the guys wanted to shop.”
Noting this month’s sales are already way up from last year, she is projecting double-digit increases with the additional selling space. Women’s currently does about $200 a square foot.