Independent designer outlet closes D.C. store

The decision was a tough but necessary one, Wang said.

“We were stunted a little bit. … For the two of us to grow the online and store business at the same rate wasn’t working,” Wang said.

The two started their company, which promotes and partners with independent fashion designers, in 2005. Wang, a D.C. native, has been based in New York, and Frey in D.C. With backgrounds in public relations, Wang and Frey also wanted to create networks of trusted third-party vendors for emerging designers.

Initially, they never intended to have a brick-and-mortar business, but they turned their office space into a showroom to get the word out.

The company, which started with about 15 designers mainly based in New York, has expanded to about 70, many of whom are from the West Coast and Canada.

The clothing lines stress “individuality and uniqueness,” Wang said.

They hope the move will allow them to improve the Web site, expand their designer base and focus on their clientele nationwide, she added.

Attracting new clientele to a niche retail Web site can be difficult, one marketing expert said.

“It’s hard to establish niche brands in the clothing industry via online sales when we’re talking about clothing that needs to be tried on,” said David Urban, a marketing professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. Online sales of well-known national brands can be successful, but typically it is “difficult to get people attracted to a clothing Web site that is exceptionally different,” he added.

But the online marketplace also presents other opportunities to reach customers anywhere and anytime. In fact, the boutique’s largest customer base is now in California.

A niche company with a physical store can “only appeal to people within the immediate proximity,” and it will have expensive overhead costs, said Thomas Harpointner, chief executive officer of AIS Media, an e-commerce Web site developer.

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