# Retail Tshirt Location?? where would you open an urban t-shirt clothing store?



## lawaughn (Jul 5, 2005)

I need advice.

If you had an opportunity to open a retail store anywhere in the US where would you open it and why?

The retail store would sell mainly urban wear.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

*Re: Retail Tshirt Location??*

I'd probably have to do some research to see what areas had the best concentration of urban clothing buyers.

Probably someplace like LA or NY.

Depends on the "type" of urban as well. There's "hip hop" urban and there's "obey" urban. There's also upscale urban that sells for premium amounts.

To be honest though, I'm not sure I'd want to deal with a retail storefront. I'd much rather someone else handle that so I could focus on making cool t-shirts. Then I could just get my shirts in their storefront.


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## DMS (Jan 28, 2007)

I agree with Rodney. If you open a shop you will have so many costs, like comunications, insurence, licences, security and all other legal issues thar you site will have to cope with. Beware and try to calculate everything and then convert that in how many shirts you have to sell per day. Remember that every day you stay below your target you have to compensate or the equivalent profit of that nr of shirts will come out of your pocket directly...


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## lawaughn (Jul 5, 2005)

Thanks for the response guys.

I have been thinking about a store that sells only the brand of my company. I don't plan on selling merchandise from other companies. Also I don't plan on wholesaling.

So to really get the brand out into the world without wholesaling storefronts are the only way to go.

I was thinking about LA and/or NY but so many of my competitors are in those cities.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> I was thinking about LA and/or NY but so many of my competitors are in those cities.


That's probably because so many of your customers are in those cities 

You could also try other urban areas like Tennessee or places in Texas. Maybe even San Francisco, Sacramento, Chicago.

Go where your customers are. Why not right there in DC where you are?


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## DMS (Jan 28, 2007)

Sea-side and high volume of turists can be great, like some spots in the Carabian. Well, NY and LA also have high volume of turists...


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## lawaughn (Jul 5, 2005)

Rodney said:


> Why not right there in DC where you are?


If I was selling overpriced tailored plain business shirts I could make a fortune in DC. Selling anything hip in DC- Never. People try to find the knock off here first.

I'm still undecided.


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## hiGH (Jan 25, 2007)

lawaughn said:


> If I was selling overpriced tailored plain business shirts I could make a fortune in DC. Selling anything hip in DC- Never. People try to find the knock off here first.
> 
> I'm still undecided.


if you would make a fortune selling plain business shirts maybe you should.


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## Parlophone (Feb 8, 2007)

*i gotta talk you off this ledge friend*

why would you want to go with a traditional brick and mortar storefront when the overhead is so much more expensive than an e-commerce storefront and your traffic is so much smaller than the internet? unless you already have a cult following before you open up shop (like johnny cupcakes) you will likely struggle just to break even.

consider what goes into a retail store and how many shirts you have to sell just to break even.. you gotta pay for rent, utilities, clothing racks, registers, counters, staff, credit card fees, signage, renovations, lighting, repairs, cleaning, advertising, etc. and the only people who will buy your stuff are people who physically walk into your one store on your one street in your one city during regular business hours.

on the other hand, all you have to pay for an e-commerce storefront is hosting, credit card fees, online marketing, and shipping materials.. that's it! driving traffic is automatic if you know what you're doing and anybody in the world can walk into your virtual store 24/7/365. you sell three shirts in a month and you break even. the rest of your time can be spent on your product, your marketing, or in my case, surfing.

if you still really want to have a physical store, my advice is to develop a strong brand name online first and then launch an actual brick and mortar store on a trendy street in a major city (boston, nyc, or la).

to do it any other way would be a risky venture.


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## lawaughn (Jul 5, 2005)

hiGH said:


> if you would make a fortune selling plain business shirts maybe you should.


I would find that very boring. I have to be motivated by what I do. Money isn't enough for me. I have to enjoy it also.

To answer Parlophone, some people just don't buy from the web.
I'm a female and I buy mostly from retail stores mainly so I can try the item on first. Some tees I can wear a medium. American Apparel shirts I wear an XL just because my breast area is large. After I have tried the tees on and know my size them I feel safer to buy from the companies website.

I can only speak for myself but I have tons of clothes that I have never worn. I bought them just to past time or to go with a certain pair of colored shoes that I no longer like at this moment. All of which I have purchased from brick and mortar stores.

The clothes that I actually wear come from catalogs. Never have I purchased clothing off of the web for myself or for my son. If I change my mind about the item I can take it back within an hour.
_______________________________________________________________

As far as the website been a less expensive venture. I guess for some of you hear it actually is but for me I have:

1. The cost of buying designs by established artist throughout the world.

2. The cost of manufacturing custom blank tees.

3. The printing cost. Each shirt will have several different printing methods wrapped in one.

4. Magazine advertising.

5. Web design cost. 

6. Release parties and flying artist into the release parties.

When it's all said and done the cost of opening a retail store will be about the same cost it's going to take me to get the website going.


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## MotoskinGraphix (Apr 28, 2006)

I think starting with a mall Kiosk could help in determining if you have a market for a brick and mortar shop. I dont agree you need a strong brand like JC to have a shop. I was in a mall the other day in a shop similar to Hot Topic. One of those concert shirt rock n roll type ventures. Most of the tees in the shop were on Gilden Labels ultra cotton tees. There was no branding on the gear. They were selling vinyl decals 90% of which I know they didnt have contracts for. The shop was full of folks not because of any brand but because they were in that trendy market. What I dont like about these shops is they arent very buyer friendly. Packed with gear with little room to negotiate the isles and the sales help is abismal.


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## TripleT (Apr 29, 2007)

A Mall Kiosk is a good idea -- what about Miami? I guess the first question would have to be - where to you want to live (or at least spend a good deal of your time?)

You must have a very high overhead for a website if you think it will cost the same as a retail store


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## lawaughn (Jul 5, 2005)

As far as the the website costing as much as opening a store.
I'm anal. I can use someone else's blank tees. I have to make my own just to satisfy myself. That's where most of my money is going into. Plus special packaging.

I was thinking about Miami. I really don't care where I live at. I'm adaptable.


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## Parlophone (Feb 8, 2007)

lawaughn said:


> When it's all said and done the cost of opening a retail store will be about the same cost it's going to take me to get the website going.


i really feel like you haven't been doing your homework.


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## T-BOT (Jul 24, 2006)

i guess you have never operated a retail store.

your BRAND goods store would not make it because you are acting with your heart but with no business sense. Forgive me for being so blunt.  

there is nothing wrong with starting small, selling other stuff too to generate income/cashflow.....REMEMBER you can always grow and expand.



:


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## scarletsneakers (May 26, 2007)

What fun to think about where to open a brick and mortar shop!

I love NYC and parts of LA ~ but there are also wonderful small cities with distinct personalities that I'd want to look into. Places with their own special buzz, like Austin, might be promising.


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## mrgeezteez (May 21, 2007)

Wow Those Are Some Really Great Ideas Gang!
We are still trying to figure out a marketing idea for out t-shirt biz, we just don't want to be your avwerage t-shirt biz...so we are putting our minds together to come up with something good and all this advice has been fab!!
thank you
enjoy
chrissy


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