Booze, skin mags and videogames the trappings of a swinging bachelor pad? No, just a way to lure male shoppers into Lisa Kline Men on Robertson Boulevard.
Meanwhile, Lords is planning a second L.A. location on Beverly Boulevard in West Hollywood and hopes to make use of a liquor license inherited with the property.
“It’s a lifestyle,” said Lords owner Nabeel Jaber, who said the new store would have a restaurant on the second floor. “We want people to come and eat, shop, have espresso, buy a box of chocolate, have a drink, hang out with us and say hi.”
Men are increasingly taking to the stores, and boutique merchants are trying to make them feel more comfortable with an atmosphere that contains more than racks of clothing.
“Historically, men bought and got out,” said Ilse Metchek, executive director of the California Fashion Association. “That’s changing. Just like women’s stores do a good job by having not only clothes but candles, pillows and home wear, they’re figuring out what will keep guys in the store a little longer. The longer they shop, the more they buy.”
One sign of the changing attitude is that men are increasingly buying for themselves, instead of relying on someone else to do it for them. Roughly one-third of men’s sportswear is now purchased by women, down from 85 percent 10 years ago, Metchek said.
A visit to Lisa Kline Men one Saturday before Christmas found several customers sitting on the couch, casually flipping through magazines and glancing at the television, although the PlayStation 2 sat idle and the alcohol remained on the shelf near the cash register.
“Robertson doesn’t necessarily attract a teen-age crowd, although it’s definitely youthful,” said Amy Gobin, a spokeswoman for parent Lisa Kline Inc. who said sales for the first two weeks of December increased 37 percent from a year earlier. “The Playboys are out but not in a raunchy or offensive way, by any means.”
This year, the store added the PlayStation 2 with about a half-dozen games (“Madden NFL 2004,” “ATV Offroad Fury 2”) to its existing stash of Playboys and Maxims, digital cable-equipped flat-screen TV for sporting events, and a small bar that offers Jim Beam, beer or blender drinks free of charge.
‘We really care’
Also trying to offer male shoppers something extra is Metropark, a four-store chain concept being tested by Hot Topic Inc. founder Orv Madden. The chain launched in October with two Southern California stores. Based in City of Industry, Metroparks contain a DJ booth, a slew of plasma-screen TVs, magazines and a mini-fridge with energy drinks and Starbucks beverages.
“(The shopper) wants to feel at home and like it’s his place,” said Sandy Potter, principal with retail consultancy Directives West.
Candace Corlett, principal of marketing and retail consultancy WSL Strategic Retail in New York, says it’s the rare guy who wants to sit and watch a football game while selecting a blazer and suggested women’s stores like Express would be better off providing entertainment options for men.
But Corlett notes that it really doesn’t matter how many customers take advantage of the added amenities. “Even if no one ever stops or has the wine, it sends a message that says, ‘We really care about you,'” said Corlett.
The new generation of male shoppers a contingent of former “mall rats” from 21 to 35 who were given cash to pick out their own sneakers or jeans recognize shopping as a necessity.
And once a man picks a store he’s likely to stick with it. A study released earlier this year by consulting firm Retail Forward found 54 percent of men purchased most of their clothing from just one or two retailers. Only 21 percent said they enjoy shopping for clothing, compared with 44 percent of women.
“We want to attract guys and make them feel as comfortable as possible, because shopping doesn’t come as easily for men as it does for women,” said Gobin. “If a guy wants to come in, sit down, kick back on the couch and watch the flat-screen TV that’s fine. And if by some chance he’s in the mood to try on some jeans, all the better.”
