Page 347 - AmericasMart: Market Magazine July 2017

FASHION ACCESSORIES & FINE JEWELRY/APPAREL
GETTING STARTED
When the banker who approved my loan asked,
“How will your store be different?” I told him I’m going to deliver
Neiman Marcus customer service even if you only buy a
$40 shirt. You’ll feel like you’re in that exclusive boutique with high-end customer service, and all those little touches that I dreamed of having, including, of course, a glass
of Champagne.
That’s what I’ve done with fab’rik, and I believe it’s worked. We say if you’ve seen it on the cover of a magazine, chances are you will find it at fab’rik minus the high price tag. Almost everything in our store is less than $100, but it looks and feels much more expensive. Our first store opened in 2001, and today we have five company-owned stores and 35 franchised stores across the country.
When I first started, I didn’t even know about the
Apparel Markets at AmericasMart. I remember walking into the building and finding myself in men’s suits and thinking, there’s nothing here for me, not realizing that was just one small part of the building. But I soon learned that my best guide was to find showrooms that are in my groove. Paula Hyman really took me under her wing and guided me through that process.
Back then, it was extremely hard to find products that fit the price point we were trying to hit. Today, though, my challenge is finding that one label that everyone hasn’t discovered already.
FINDING NEW IDEAS
Not everything has worked. We started off carrying men’s apparel as well as women’s. But we quickly realized that men would buy a lot at one time, then wouldn’t come back for months. That didn’t really fit with our culture, where we’re opening a box of merchandise just about every day.
We also tried children’s clothing, but weren’t able to carry
a large enough assortment to know if it would succeed.
So, that’s still a question mark. We replaced men’s with shoes. And jewelry and accessories have been part of our inventory from the start. I always want someone to be able to walk in and create her entire look.
Franchising wasn’t initially a part of our plan, but I was always being told by out-of-town customers, “We need a store like this in our city!” I’d basically suggest they open one and wish them luck. Then I had a vision: I wanted to give women like me the support they needed to open their own business. Most of my franchisees were shoppers or employees who have moved; it’s wonderful to realize that our customers are who created our growth strategy.
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