# Apparel Store At The Mall (Heat Press, Sublimation, Embroidery, etc.)



## abigailsdaddy (Nov 1, 2009)

Hey gang!

Am currently tossing around the idea of opening a a brink and mortar store at either an outlet mall or one of the several retail malls that is relatively near my home.

I don't see any thread in any of the forums about this having been tried, with or without success, so I thought I would start the topic.

Products in the store would include:

- Already designed apparel (tees, hoodies, etc.)
- Blank apparel (tees, hoodies, etc.) for customers to customize with their selection from a ton of heat press designs
- Sublimation products - mugs, plates, aprons, bathroom and kitchen tiles, etc.
- Engraving
- Embroidery
- The use of a vinyl cutter for the creation of stickers, vehicle graphics, etc.

I have seen stores and carts/kiosks at malls that offer embroidery (only) and they seem to be doing pretty well and have been at the malls for a while now. However, in doing my research PERSONALIZATION is a huge, yet under-tapped market, and what can be more PERSONAL than being able to design your own apparel, etc.

Need your help gang! Need you to either slap the rose colored glasses off my face or tell me to keep wearing them. Hopefully the later.

As always though: thank you for your comments and suggestions.


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## chuckh (Mar 22, 2008)

I think you have an idea with a lot of merit. I started out with a retail t-shirt store, similar to what you describe, 30 years ago in a seasonal tourist town. I have grown into screenprinting, embroidery, and promotional products full time. I think my happiest days were those running the retail store.

The traditional t-shirt stores have almost disappeared, but when I see seasonal t-shirt shops in the mall, they are always busy. If I were closer to our mall (I am an hour away) I would give it a go. We constantly have people coming to us for personalized garments, etc. Even though we no longer offer a retail experience, we take care of the onesies as well as the larger orders. Everything goes in cycles and this may be the time for the t-shirt store to rise again. Research well, and good luck!


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## Mtnview (Nov 5, 2009)

abigailsdaddy said:


> Hey gang!
> 
> 
> I have seen stores and carts/kiosks at malls that offer embroidery (only) and they seem to be doing pretty well and have been at the malls for a while now.


What is your definition of doing well? I have heard that malls typically charge a good amount for their space. By the time you purchase (if you haven't already) the printing and embroidery equipment how much will you be able to spend on the mall site? Just something to think about.


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## TheAve (Dec 1, 2009)

abigailsdaddy said:


> Hey gang!
> 
> Am currently tossing around the idea of opening a a brink and mortar store at either an outlet mall or one of the several retail malls that is relatively near my home.
> 
> ...



Hey there, I have been throwing around the exact same idea and doing research (much on this site) regarding it for months now. I say go for it! Recently, I visited a store that does this in Chicago and 2 in San Francisco, and the owners were nice enough to chat with me for awhile and give me advice. They both indicated that their moneymakers are on the custom lettering with different fonts. One place sells about 1,000 shirts a week. 

It seems as though there are a million places online to get a shirt but these stores were both located in areas with very heavy foot traffic. One had been there since 1993 and was very successful. 

I'm still in the middle of my business plan figuring out start up and recurring costs, but so far it looks like I would need to sell about 500 shirts a month to break even. And since these other shops are selling in the neighborhood for 1,000 a week, it looks good. The area that I have scoped out, in California (I hope we aren't thinking about the same mall, lol), gets a very heavy amount of foot traffic and I think that with the right designs could be a lot of fun to run and successful. How far along are you on your plan?


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## aminaic (Dec 18, 2009)

chuckh said:


> I think you have an idea with a lot of merit. I started out with a retail t-shirt store, similar to what you describe, 30 years ago in a seasonal tourist town. I have grown into screenprinting, embroidery, and promotional products full time. I think my happiest days were those running the retail store.
> 
> The traditional t-shirt stores have almost disappeared, but when I see seasonal t-shirt shops in the mall, they are always busy. If I were closer to our mall (I am an hour away) I would give it a go. We constantly have people coming to us for personalized garments, etc. Even though we no longer offer a retail experience, we take care of the onesies as well as the larger orders. Everything goes in cycles and this may be the time for the t-shirt store to rise again. Research well, and good luck!


everything has gone online now that is where the big bucks are being made


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## mtpokits4x (Jan 4, 2010)

abigailsdaddy said:


> Hey gang!
> 
> Am currently tossing around the idea of opening a a brink and mortar store at either an outlet mall or one of the several retail malls that is relatively near my home.
> 
> ...


 
We are researching the same biz model here. After researching the demographics in our area, the mall seems to be the logical choice to provide us with daily revenue generated from the foot traffic & impulse buyers. Seems to us that this would justify the higher lease price, versus a different location with less traffic and the marketing dollars to get our products in front of the same amount of customers. Plus, this is THE shopping hub for about 80% of our niche market to begin with.


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## abigailsdaddy (Nov 1, 2009)

mtpokits4x said:


> We are researching the same biz model here. After researching the demographics in our area, the mall seems to be the logical choice to provide us with daily revenue generated from the foot traffic & impulse buyers. Seems to us that this would justify the higher lease price, versus a different location with less traffic and the marketing dollars to get our products in front of the same amount of customers. Plus, this is THE shopping hub for about 80% of our niche market to begin with.



What area are you in?


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## mtpokits4x (Jan 4, 2010)

abigailsdaddy said:


> What area are you in?


We're in the Great Lakes area - Michigan.


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## Simply Ryde (Nov 30, 2009)

Now may be a great time to lease space at a mall/ retail center. The commercial real estate sector, mainly retail, is struggling right now. You should be able to strike a great deal on a lease.

Good Luck!


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## mtpokits4x (Jan 4, 2010)

Simply Ryde said:


> Now may be a great time to lease space at a mall/ retail center. The commercial real estate sector, mainly retail, is struggling right now. You should be able to strike a great deal on a lease.
> 
> Good Luck!


This is definately a factor in our decision process, as our mall is ready to deal on space because they are below their acceptable occupancy ( at about 89% right now). Also, they are managed by a company ( to remain nameless ) that is going through a bankruptcy currently. They are still showing strong numbers in foot traffic & sales for this market, given the economy.
Thanks for the input!


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## gapipkin (May 29, 2011)

Any updates? This is a great thread.


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## Mtnview (Nov 5, 2009)

mtpokits4x said:


> We're in the Great Lakes area - Michigan.


What part of Michigan? Of course I don't know that one area hasn't been hit any worse than another with the economy.


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## Mtnview (Nov 5, 2009)

mtpokits4x said:


> We are researching the same biz model here. After researching the demographics in our area, the mall seems to be the logical choice to provide us with daily revenue generated from the foot traffic & impulse buyers. Seems to us that this would justify the higher lease price, versus a different location with less traffic and the marketing dollars to get our products in front of the same amount of customers. Plus, this is THE shopping hub for about 80% of our niche market to begin with.


The mall in our area of Michigan wants both arms and both legs for lease. They claimed they were at 98% occupancy and weren't in a negotiating mood. I asked about pricing on a kiosk for the holiday season of 2010. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas they wanted $5K.


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