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Takin’ The Streets To The Kids
Works Just Fine With Fine’s
The past couple of decades have seen a dramatic
shift from the “grunge” generation, where shredded jeans, bandanas, long hair
and the greasier the better look somehow has been converted to well-dressed,
clean-cut boy bands on MTV. Manicures and hair stylists are no longer the
exclusive property of young women. Instead, there is pressure on teens of both
sexes these days to look equally good.
Fine’s, a company with 68 years in the retail business operating 16 stores for
men in MD, NC, SC and VA, decided to take the plunge and build on a more
traditional ambiance with a backdrop of real city life by introducing their new
concept, “Street Stuff.” The stores resemble a set from MTV, inviting today’s
young people in for a closer look. Shopping is not to be a chore, but an
experience for today’s young urban male.
“We are targeting the middle markets,” said Mitchell Fine, President and CEO of
Fine’s, a division of Stamor Corporation. “We believe kids like malls, that they
are mall shoppers. They are drawn to them by the movies and food courts. Our
locations are in the southern regions, with Street Stuff stores open at the
Military Circle Mall in Norfolk, VA; Four Seasons Town Center in Greensboro, NC
and the Dutch Square Mall in Columbia, SC.
“The fashion trends are consistent. Kids are influenced by TV shows, movies and
magazines, no matter where they live. They pay attention to the trends. It may
take a little longer for things to catch on in the south than in the northeast,
but the trends are the same.”
With a decor that includes photos and walls with dimensional buildings of brick,
concrete, chain link fencing, cinder blocks, stucco and videos showing the
latest street-oriented music videos, the stores carry fashions for young men by
all the popular brand name designers, including Ecko, FUBU Platinum, Sean John,
Phat Farm, Enyce, Mecca, Avirex, Guess, Polo, School of Hard Knocks and
Rocawear. The urban atmosphere was designed to be attractive to shoppers from
many economic and ethnic groups between the ages of 16 and 25.
The continued popularity of MTV has created an under-served market, according to
Mr. Fine, made up of young suburban and urban men who like what they see rap
singers wearing. These are the urban customers who believe in phat as a
compliment, not the putdown fat used to be. Fine’s decided to go after a
lifestyle, rather than an ethnic or geographic market by targeting readers of
XXL and similar magazines, who see looks and want to emulate them.
“Street Stuff will offer urban apparel in keeping with the new look to the
stores, but we didn’t want to limit our customers by price point,” said Mr.
Fine. “We don’t do private labels, but we do search out vendors offering
‘Classification Merchandise,’ that is offbrand clothing with the right look, the
same feel, fabrics, style and look as the name brands, but at affordable
prices.”
Fine’s turned again to their experience, and made the decision to mix name
brands with competitively priced classification merchandise. The variety allows
for maximum fashion coverage, and a wider appeal to today’s young shoppers. The
look and variety of prices and merchandise carried by Street Stuff allows Fine’s
to cross over from the limitations of their competition, such as Mr. Raggs and
Pacific Sunwear, both, according to Mr. Fine, bounded by a certain look in their
apparel.
Even though Fine’s is basically a senior citizen among retailers, the merchant
has managed to keep up with their shoppers by offering whatever worked over the
years. Gone are the days when young men were in the market for an assortment of
fine dress hats, neckties and dress shirts, as they were when Fine’s first
opened in 1933. Their shoppers have turned from tweed to denim. To keep up with
the times, Fine’s has been carrying much of the same merchandise as will be
found in the new Street Stuff concept stores. The difference is in the
presentation of the goods, the “pop” added to the new stores to invite young
shoppers in for a closer look.
As time progressed, Fine’s decided it was time to add a more energetic look and
feel to their stores. With some savvy observations, Fine’s has been able to stay
afloat for 68 years and is anticipating growth in the near future. Change
continues to agree with Fine’s. Customers are reacting positively to the look
and ambiance of the stores, as are the shopping centers they are located in. The
landlords are reacting well too, seeing the bright, upbeat, airy Street Scene
stores as drawing in customers.
The opening of four more Street Stuff concepts is planned in major urban hubs
throughout the southeast, with a focus on Richmond, VA, Atlanta, GA and
Charlotte and Raleigh, NC during the coming 18 months. Areas with a high ethnic
urban socio-economic makeup are of particular interest. As leases come up for
renewal, more and more Fine’s stores will be replaced by the Street Stuff
concepts in keeping with its new look and merchandising approach. Spaces of
3,500 sq.ft. to 4,000 sq.ft. are sought in malls, and power and specialty
centers. Demographic requirements include a population of 50,000 to 100,000
within the trade area. Leases running seven to 10 years are typical. A vanilla
shell is required. The company prefers to cluster their stores if possible when
entering a new market area.
For details, contact Mitchell Fine, President and CEO, Fine’s, 1164 Azalea
Garden Road, Norfolk, VA 23502; 757-857-6013, Fax 757-857-4603.
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