Update on Forever 21 Possibly Coming to Charleston...

One of my most popular posts is on the possibility of Forever 21 coming to the Charleston Town Center.  I haven't been able to get there recently until the past weekend.  Some time ago, I had sent an email to someone in the PR office for the Town Center asking for a confirmation of the rumor but no one ever got back to me. 

I managed to get to the Town Center Sunday with a friend of mine.  I asked a few salespeople in different stores if they knew for sure if Forever 21 was really coming and while they had heard the rumor, nobody know for sure.

Of course, as soon as I hear something I'll let you all know.  In the meantime, you can get your Forever 21 fix at the Morgantown Mall or Easton Town Center in Columbus.

Could Fashion's Night Out Work in WV?

Last night in New York City and many other cities in the world, people celebrated Fashion's Night Out, which is described as a celebration of fashion, but is more of an attempt to "make shopping fun again" and encourage consumer spending.  Designers make exclusive merchandise just for this one night, and the items are usually well-sought after.  Stores will have DJs or live bands, all sorts of free food--no pop and chips here, these things are catered by some of the best local resturants--some will even sponsored free manicures or hair styling. 

What you might notice is the lack of sales during FNO.  The organizers of the event (Vogue, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, NYC & Company, and the City of New York) encourage retailers to sell all items for tonight at full price, again with the "encouraging of consumer confidence." 

I love the idea of doing a Fashion's Night Out in West Virginia...however it'd have to be a West Virginia version.  First and foremost, the name "Fashion's Night Out" is trademarked, so we'd either have to pony up up $250 per store/brand, or come up with a new name.  I'll call it West Virginia Fashion Friday. 



Why, yes, I did study graphic design in college.  A few measly years ago I could have done something much more...stylish, but at the moment I lack access to Adobe products.  Anyways...

We can do the same things that FNO wants to accomplish, but on our terms.  We can enjoy a fashionable night of fun, learn what wares our local stores carry, and help our local economy.  But would it mirror a similar event as FNO?  I'm going to say no.  Here's why:

1. There would need to be some sales.  I think there might be some trouble trying to attract people to such an event to pay full price.  If there's other stuff going on, such as live music, free facials or something, I don't think the sales will need to be very steep. 
2. Location, location, location.  I have Charleston in mind for pulling off something like this (I have ArtWalk on the brain).  Do we hold this up on Bridge Street, or downtown?  There's more space for displays and parking downtown, but most of the boutiques are up on Bridge St., and would have to labor to bring stuff downtown.  Driving between the two locations would be annoying. 
3. This needs to be an all-inclusive event.  That means all price points, letting the men show off their fashion as well, plus sizes, etc.  Fashion and style are not limited to certain members of society.
4. Manpower is a major concern.  This isn't your sister's Mary Kay house party; if you're going to offer quickie makeovers, you need to have some professionals.  This could include salon professionals, cosmetic counter workers, beauty school students, etc. If you're going to have 10 people doing manicures at your location, at least 6 of them need to have working experience.  Friends can fill in voids, but they need to be trained at least a month before the event starts. 
5. How to pay for all of this.  Would the professionals doing makeup be paid, or would they get free advertising in exchange?  If they're going to do fashion shows somewhere, how would the venue get paid?  I'm wary of having the shops/brands participating to have to pay to be involved, except maybe for a small nominal fee.  Sponsors would be needed and since this isn't exactly a charity event, I don't know how excited they might be to get behind this.
6. I think independent vendors should be allowed.  Rent out a store front, call it the Quarrier Baazar (or some other fancy name), and charge people for a booth.  You can have Thirty One consultants or folks who moonlight making jewelry.  This would allow us to bring in many of the wonderful artisans in our state and help make the event truely ours.  My fears, though: 15 Avon consultants, people who peddle cheap goods from China they order out of a wholesale catalog, fake purses (include a clause in the contract that they can't sell anything bearing the name of a company or designer that isn't authentic or could be confused as such), and people trying to sell stuff that isn't fashion-related.  Services could be allowed, such as people doing massages or pedicures.
7. It's be great if cities and towns all over the state could get involved on the same day. 

I have lots more ideas for such an event, but I've lost my train of thought and it's dangerously close to bedtime.  Do you think West Virginia can pull of such an event?  Feel free to add your ideas as well!

OPI Shatter Polish is NOWHERE to be Found

This past weekend I was at the Huntington Mall and picked up the minipack of Katy Perry for OPI polishes.  Of course, Trade Secret was out of the Shatter Polish.  The saleswoman told me they had been unable to keep it in stock, and then added it was impossible to find in the Tri-State area due to demand.  Trade Secret still had plenty of the colors in the collection available for purchase. 

If you're looking to buy Shatter, you're probably going to have to go online.  I finally broke down and bought the Serena Williams Simply Smashing! set, which includes the Shatter polish and a cool chartreuse green (I wear this color a lot).  I bought the set off Amazon, and with shipping it came to around $15 and change, which ain't bad.  Amazon had the Shatter polish by itself for as low as $4.50, but when you add almost $5 in shipping, you're pretty much paying full price.  However, for the time being, this looks like the only option for buying Shatter. 



Note: If you purchase this polish off Amazon, be sure to know that you're not actually buying the product from Amazon, but from an individual who sells on Amazon.  Most are great sellers, but there are a few bad apples.  Make sure your seller has at least a 95% approval or above. 

 

Charming Charlie Coming to the Huntington Mall

While at the Huntington Mall yesterday looking for luggage (which is SO EXPENSIVE), I ran across a facade where some construction work was going.  The signs proclaimed that Charming Charlie was getting ready to move in soon.  I've heard of Charming Charlie before, and I want to think I've been in one, but I'm not 100% sure.  Okay, I remember now.  It was when I was in Norfolk, VA, last summer. 

According to their website, Charming Charlie sells women's jewelry, handbags, and other accessories with most prices running from $4.97-$49.97.  In their stores, which are designed to look like a boutique, everything is grouped according to color.  I, for one, love this idea.  I can't count the amount of times I've looked for something to match an outfit and never find anything (until after I've worn said outfit), so this feature is wonderful. 

Like I said earlier, I'm pretty sure I was in the one located in Norfolk, VA, last summer.  I remember asking my friend what kind of store it was, but I didn't have a lot of time to really look because the store was getting ready to close.  The stuff I looked at was pretty (and sparkly!) but I can't vouch for quality.

I did some research on the Charming Charlie company online.   Last in year, it won several awards such as International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) Hot Retailer of the Year 2010, which is an impressive award.   I also did some research on reviews for the store.  Most are very favorable, although some have pointed out that quality-wise, what you pay for is what you get.  To be honest, if I'm only paying, say, $9 for a necklace, if I get a year's use out of it, I'm satisfied. 

Overall, I'm very excited the addition of Charming Charlie to the Huntington Mall lineup.  I'll post opening information as soon as I know something.

WEBSITE: Charming Charlie.  unfortunately, it doesn't really showcase any of their wares, but the blog is entertaining.

Sephora Coming to Charleston & Other Mall News

Yesterday's announcement of White House|Black Market coming to Huntington hasn't been the only retail news in West Virginia as of late.  Last week, the Charleston Town Center announced that anchor store JC Penney's was getting ready for a multi-million dollar renovation.  According to to the Charleston Daily Mail, the renovations will be from "top to bottom" and will include a Sephora Inside JC Penney.  It should be no surprise to anyone that I am a huge Sephora fan, so I'm more than excited to hear about this addition to the Charleston Town Center.  A few years ago, JC Penney started to remodel its stores, and one of the first ones they did was at the Ashland Town Center, which also included a Sephora.  Ashland is maybe 20-ish minutes from Huntington, and the mall there really isn't worth writing home about.  At the time, the renovation seemed basically to showcase the American Living line, a sort of preppy-Americana brand. That same section now showcases the women's lingere...to show how well the American Living brand is doing.  I'm more or less expecting the Charleston store to look very similar to the Ashland store. 

While the JC Penney remodel is set in stone, I've heard a rumor that Forever 21 is looking to move in the Charleston Town Center.  Personally, I'd rather have a Forever 21 in Huntington than White House|Black Market.  For those who aren't familiar with Forever 21, it's a flash fashion store, meaning the stuff you saw on the catwalk two weeks ago will be in store this weekend.  Prices are dirt cheap, but the quality is dirt cheap as well.  You do get what you pay for: a cute dress that will last this season and that's it.  They do carry a pretty good plus size line called Faith 21.  All of the Forever 21 stores I have been in are huge, and I'm not 100% sure of where there might be that size available in the CTC.  There's the old Steve & Barry's location on the east side of the mall, but it's been split into two different stores. One side is an inflatable bounce house place where you can hold a party, the other sells crap out of distribution catalogs, like fiber optic angel statues.  I don't know what the leases are on those stores, but that's the only place I can think of where Forever 21 would want to move into.

The Huntington Mall is getting ready to do a multi-million dollar renovation in honor of its 30th anniversary.  Basically, skylights are being put in, new flooring installed, remodeling the joke of a food court, and some other odds and ends.  However, they are also going to put in two new stores.  While I haven't heard any rumors of what might be going in those, I imagine it's not going to be anything to get excited over.   Just throwing this out there, but I foresee a Talbot's Women and Petite.  There's already a Talbot's there, and it doesn't carry the plus size or petite clothes.  

My little sister asked me last night what other stores I could see moving into downtown Huntington after White House|Black Market.  Off the top of my head...Urban Outfitters, and that's only if WH|BM does well.  I think between Marshall, high schoolers, and people in the 24-40 age bracket there's enough population and interest to support an UO.  Like Forever 21, most Urban Outfitters are fairly large stores.  Most of the space in Pullman Square and across the street on Third Avenue is occupied.  There's not enough draw to bring people to Fourth Avenue, and obviously location is key.

White House|Black Market Coming to Huntington!

About a month ago, I posted a list of stores or brands that I'd love to see come to West Virginia.  While it's not one of my top picks, White House|Black Market is a welcome addition to downtown Huntington.  It's not going in Pullman Square though, but at 905 Third Avenue.  This is what use to be the 9th St. Plaza, right next to the AT&T Store and facing the patio of the Marshall Hall of Fame Cafe.  The building was most recently an upscale kid's clothing store--or for longtime residents of Huntington--the former Bowinkle's restaurant. 

I miss Bowinkle's.  Not only was the food good, it was very affordable.  You can't eat downtown and drop fewer than $10 on a meal.  I don't even what to think about eating out with kids costs these days.  I may be a bit biased, though, because Bowinkle's was my first job.

Ahem, back to White House|Black Market.  As the store's name might suggest, a majority of the clothing and accessories are in black and white. Sure, there's some neutrals mixed in, along with a color or two, but the store looks and feels like a P. Diddy theme party.  The best way I can best describe the clothes is a mix between Ann Taylor Loft and Macy's INC line. 

The only reason I don't see WH|BM doing well are the price points.  WH|BM is pricey, at least by West Virginia standards.  Expect a dress--even a basic jersey dress--to cost around $100.  Shoes also average $100.  I can definitely see lots of Marshall students shopping at WH|BM, and between them and the small-ish professional population, the store might be able to survive. 

Here are some dresses I'd love to get in my closet:

Mosiac Print Chemise, $98

Blue Floral Print Sheath Dress, $168

I am excited, though.  No word yet on when White House|Black Market will open, but according to WSAZ.com, the company said "soon."