July 19, 2018
WWD
Copious Row to Take Aim at Boston Fashion Customers
The retailer wants to fill the void left by Louis Boston, but those customers may have scattered to the far corners of the earth.
Copious Row, which began as a pop-up shop in Sag Harbor, N.Y. and graduated in 2016 to a 1,600-square-foot permanent space in Greenwich, Conn., in September will unveil Copious Row 2.0, a 2,400-square-foot unit at The Street at Chestnut Hill with a longer list of designer ready-to-wear, jewelry, an inaugural shoe salon and handbags to “provide the full breadth of categories,” founder David Chines said.
Drawn to Boston by what he called “a dearth of high-end fashion retailers,” Chines is hoping to fill the gaping hole left by Louis Boston, the venerable and directional store that in 2015 succumbed to the harsh retail environment. “One thing we repeatedly heard is that once Louis Boston closed, there was a huge void in the market. I hope we can capture that audience.
“Retail is evolving on a daily basis, including the way designers are operating. They’re starting to show seasons together — pre-fall and fall. Everybody is in a race to get product on the floor as soon as humanly possible. We’re taking over from a pretty major store,” Chines said. According to sources, Copious Row is opening in an Intermix location, which is closing July 22.
“We’ve done the seasonal summer store in the Hamptons and we’ve been in Greenwich for a couple of years,” Chines said. “We’ve started to penetrate the Northeast market. We’ve established ourselves. We’re excited about this next step.”
Copious Row at The Street will feature Oscar de la Renta, Missoni, Brock Collection, Rosetta Getty, Rochas, Giambattista Valli, Mary Katrantzou, Rosie Assoulin, Moschino Narciso Rodriguez, Adam Lippes, and Monse, among others. “We added Emilio Pucci, Erdem, and Victoria Beckham, ready-to-wear and shoes,” Chines said, noting that the shoe salon will feature Aquazurra. “The Boston area is a great community with such diverse needs and all kinds of women looking for all different types of products. It will give us the opportunity to really spread our wings.
“We did a tremendous amount of research and met with different members and constituencies of various communities,” Chines added. “Sure, you have people who are more traditional in their sartorial tastes. You also have people of different backgrounds and ethnicities and college students. The city draws people from all walks of life. It’s a discerning customer. We know how to buy and cater to each market and how to design the store for each market. Sag Harbor looked like a beach store and Greenwich has a city feel. Chestnut Hill is going to blow your socks off.”
Chines said he and his staff will be splitting their time between Copious Row’s offices in Manhattan and the Greenwich store and Chestnut Hill. “Luckily, the whole Northeast is easy to get to. In the beginning, I want to be there to nurture the new store. Greenwich is a well-oiled machine. We’ll do a lot of opening events. We want to do designer appearances and lunches. The future of retail is you need to be there [at your store]. You can’t buy in large brush strokes. You need to know the people that live in your town, where they work and eat and live. People dress for their lifestyles.”
The Street is a product of WS Development, which reimagined The Royal Poinciana, a landmarked, 60-year-old, 180,000-square-foot, open-air center in Palm Beach, designed by world-renowned architect John Volk.
“I can’t think of a market hungrier for high fashion than Chestnut Hill,” said Samantha David, chief operating officer of WS Development. “Our neighborhood is full of chic, accomplished, worldly women eager to find the best of the best in their backyard. We’re proud to have Copious Row, a merchant with an exceptional edit, join The Street.”
By Sharon Edelson