Sunday, August 30, 2009

Great store, slow website

Continuing to shop in Venice , CA we step in to another very unique store called, 'The Stronghold". Very masculine with a Ralph Lauren style feel and a product line of American made custom jeans and clothing at relatively reasonable prices. Custom work/casual/dress boots and shoes for around $450-$550 per pair. Custom jeans for $275. Not cheap but if your a hard fit or want something that's made just for you, this is a great place to shop.

Wanting to extend that experience and to reaffirm the details of the boots I was interested in I visited their website (http://www.thestronghold.com). It was slow, hard to use and did not provide the info needed. If your going to create a great store, make sure your website has the same level of quality. Many shoppers need time to think about a serious purchase. The easiest way for those customers who are from out of town to consummate a sale is on-line. Make sure it is an easy and enjoyable experience.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Retail in Venice California

I just spent part of the morning shopping with my wife in Venice. Many of the shops were very unique but one in particular, Mollusk Surf Shop, really stands out. These guys have a great corner location on a busy street and their present their merchandise just a little differently then most other shops.

Great T-shirts, all stacked on tables with a full exposure of the images on display. Surfboards are in the windows and up a spiral staircase. All the boards come from shapers who are anything but mainstream. Books about surfing cover an entire wall. What clothing there is comes from non- traditional, local manufacturers.

The general vibe is unique, hard to find, buy our stuff and you'll be special too.

Well done.