Standing out from the competition is more essential than ever, according to retailers attending the Designers & Agents show last week in New York.
Housed in two locations on West 26th Street, the trade show offered a selection of sportswear, accessories, footwear and other items.
In search of accessories and tried-and-true contemporary labels like Hartford Paris and Bellerose, Haley McMahon was buying for Mercantile in Portland, Ore. She looks for European lines that are not sold on the West Coast. Shirts, dresses and sweaters are strong categories, and business is good due to the city’s ongoing growth. Having worked at her best friend’s store for 35 of the 45 years it has been in downtown Portland, McMahon said being located near numerous new hotels has helped sales, and the city’s first five-story hotel, a Ritz Carlton, is being built a block away.
Owner Cindy Kahng and sales specialist Rebecca Li are being more innovative about enticing shoppers to Azaleas, a lingerie and swimwear retailer with outposts in Manhattan’s East Village and West Village. They were looking for accessories and other items such as socks from Hansel From Basel. Specializing in swimwear and lingerie, the retailer accents its assortment with interesting novelty items.
Li said,
Housed in two locations on West 26th Street, the trade show offered a selection of sportswear, accessories, footwear and other items.
In search of accessories and tried-and-true contemporary labels like Hartford Paris and Bellerose, Haley McMahon was buying for Mercantile in Portland, Ore. She looks for European lines that are not sold on the West Coast. Shirts, dresses and sweaters are strong categories, and business is good due to the city’s ongoing growth. Having worked at her best friend’s store for 35 of the 45 years it has been in downtown Portland, McMahon said being located near numerous new hotels has helped sales, and the city’s first five-story hotel, a Ritz Carlton, is being built a block away.
Owner Cindy Kahng and sales specialist Rebecca Li are being more innovative about enticing shoppers to Azaleas, a lingerie and swimwear retailer with outposts in Manhattan’s East Village and West Village. They were looking for accessories and other items such as socks from Hansel From Basel. Specializing in swimwear and lingerie, the retailer accents its assortment with interesting novelty items.
Li said,
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