Alexander Blecher, blecher.info
Eastpak, a backpack company that traces its roots back to making bags for the US military, was acquired by VF in the year 2000. To expand their business, Eastpak and VF came up with a three-part strategy for growth; Diversify the offerings, Globalize the brand, Create a Lifestyle brand.
How did they do? The reason for this post was the predominance of the Eastpak brand on the streets of Europe.
Having traveled to Paris a number of times in the past, my wife and I have already visited most of the key tourist attractions from Notre Dame to the Eiffel Tower. But in all of our time in Paris, we never thought to visit any bicycle shops. Since we are both avid cyclist, we realized this was an oversight that need to be rectified on our recent trip.
Alex Singer was our first shop to visit. To be honest, I was not seeking out legendary service but rather to see one of the last shops of an era that is dying out, the era of the constructeurs.
“During the “Golden Age,” small makers built amazing bicycles that transcended their function to become a form of art. Their craftsmanship was not limited to the frame, but included hand-made derailleurs, brakes, stems, racks and other components. The entire bicycle was carefully designed and crafted as a unit, combining function and beauty. Famous makers like René Herse, Alex Singer, Jo Routens and others spent countless hours on each bicycle in their search for perfection.” -Jan Heine from Bicycle Quarterly
French, English or Icelandic, no matter the language, it is expected that when a shopper enters a store in Europe they will greet the shopkeeper. And of course, the shopkeeper will respond in kind.
The reason for this is a matter of perspective. In the United States, customers view stores as a public place. But in Europe, stores are viewed as private property. Just as you would never enter someone else’s private home without greeting them, you would likewise never enter a “private” store without a greeting.
Zion Cooperative Mercantile Institution 1910
On October 9th, 1868, the first full-line department store in the United States is opened in Salt Lake City, Utah. Brigham Young of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) founded the Zion Cooperative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI) to serve the people of Salt Lake City, Utah (SLC).
France – By David Monniaux – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=168053
I just returned from a trip to Europe. My travels took me to Paris to Reims to Lyon and finally, Geneva. While the purpose of my trip was personal, I did take the opportunity to visit a number of retail stores and boutiques while traveling.
Over the next few weeks, I will be posting about some of the shops that I visited and the things I observed in the old world.
Je vous invite à lire les messages à venir.
(I invite you to read the upcoming posts.)
Southdale Center circa 1958
MN Historical Society
On October 8th, 1956, Southdale Mall opens in Edina, MN. It is the oldest fully enclosed climate-controlled mall in the United States.
The head of Dayton’s Department Store commissioned a study that determined that Minnesota only has 126 “ideal shopping weather days” a year. With that in mind, Donald Dayton hired Victor Gruen to design and build a fully enclosed shopping mall. The original design for the 500 acres included the mall, houses, a school, medical center and a park with a lake. The mall and the medial center were all that were ever completed.
75,000 people attended opening day taking full advantage of the free parking arranged in animal-themed sections. There were 72 smaller shops and two anchor department stores. 60 years later, Southdale is still serving the shoppers of Minnesota.
~ Donald Porter
“It is not the employer who pays the wages. Employers only handle the money. It is the customer who pays the wages.”
-Henry Ford
Last fall I was in the market for a new tent and after doing some research, I narrowed the choices down to just three. Given my size, I like to try tents out before I buy them so I headed out to the local Mountain Hardwear shop where they had the Mountain Hardwear Optic 2.5 in stock.
Having done my research ahead of time, I knew the statistics on the tent such as dimensions, weight, packed size and materials. I also knew the price. At $240, it is a moderately priced tent in the Mountain Hardwear line, where tents can range to over $500.
I arrived at the store nicely dressed and freshly showered. As I entered the store, I was greeted warmly by the person near the cash wrap as I made my way to the back of the store to the tent department. As luck would have it, the Optic 2.5 was actually set up on the sales floor for display. This kept me from going through the hassle of asking to have the tent set-up. As I bent down to crawl into the tent, a clerk approached me.
People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
-Maya Angelou
The Observant Customer 