Sales have been sluggish or flat at best for many national retailers, and independent designers have been hit even harder as consumers tighten their wallets.
But one company has created a different way to sell clothes and accessories that is bucking the trend as it gains popularity among designers and female shoppers alike.
Shecky’s Media, a publishing company trying to market “The Girl’s Guide to New York Nightlife” after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, decided to throw a book party focused around food and shopping, inviting local young designers and targeting 21- to 35-year-olds.
After a turnout of 800 people, Girls Night Out, a shopping party experience, was born, said Chris Hoffman, the chief executive officer and founder of Shecky’s.
Since then, the concept has expanded to 16 cities, including Washington beginning in spring 2007. Now each of the events draws several thousand women and features an open bar, hors d’oeuvres, beauty services such as manicures and hairstyle consultations from sponsors, and, of course, lots of shopping.
VIP tickets are $25, which include a goodie bag with almost $100 in merchandise including cosmetics, hair products, skin care products and lingerie.
Other companies have caught on and have launched their own shopping party events, including Sip & Shop, Milla by Mail and Shop-N-Spa.
“The retail environment is much more challenging than it used to be,” Hoffman said, not only because of cautious consumer spending, but also because of Internet sales. “It’s tough to get people in the door” without creating an experience, he said.
Designers have had to “adapt their pricing” in a slower economy as people spend less, but ticket sales to the events have only increased, he added.
Washington has been one of Shecky’s “more successful cities,” Hoffman said. “D.C. is such a male-centric city,” and professional women still want to be exposed to different designers who may be more funky or eclectic.
About one-third of the designers are from the Washington area, and merchandise is priced from $20 to $1,000.
In April, about 6,000 tickets were sold for the three-day event.
“I really enjoyed the event. … You get a very focused market … a young, hip crowd,” said LaKisha Cameron, owner of Marzee, a women’s online boutique based in Forestville whose clothes range in price from about $65 to $150.
While she said she has noticed a drop in Internet sales because of the sluggish economy, at Girls Night Out, women are “coming to shop.” Over the three nights, Cameron said she did about three weeks’ worth of business.
Another Girls Night Out is slated for September in Washington at DAR Constitution Hall.
