Necessity is the mother of invention, so goes the saying.

And that’s what motivated Zel Anders, who conceived her Tomboy Tailors haberdashery after failing to find men’s-style clothing for women, especially in men’s stores. Anders, a one-time paralegal who wanted quality suits, custom-suited to her female frame, knew she wasn’t the first or only woman to want menswear-inspired clothing.

So, when Tomboy Tailors opened its doors this past weekend, Feb. 2, in San Francisco, the retailer became—according to its website—“the very first clothing company in the United States with a permanent store that caters to butch/masculine-of-center women and trans-masculine individuals, as well as all women and men seeking tailored suits and shirts.”

The 1,100-sq.-ft. Continue reading →

It’s a new year and time for list making. J. Walter Thompson (JWT), the global marketing communications giant, has released its 2013 edition of Things to Watch Retail Report, which serves up a forecast of key trends, including drivers that will significantly impact consumer mindsets and behavior in the year to come. Wondering what JWT has its eye on? Check out it out below:

Click-and-Collect
Customers order online, then pick up the goods (frequently groceries) at a store nearby. You read about Tesco’s South Korean pilot program last January in DDI. U.S. retailers testing the waters include Ahold’s Peapod. And Amazon and eBay are getting into the pickup game, too. Continue reading →

Goodwill has been helping folks purchase good-looking apparel (not to mention supplying Halloween costumes for thousands of us) as a nonprofit for many, many years.

What if that concept were applied to other retail models? Like grocery?

Well in Chester, Del., that very thing is about to be tested out. This spring, Philabundance—a hunger relief organization located in Delaware Valley—will open the first nonprofit grocery store in the nation.  It will also be the first grocery store in the city of Chester in 11 years!

The store, Fare & Square, will offer a free annual membership with two levels of participation. Continue reading →

Ever since the beginning of time, human beings have nurtured big dreams, high hopes and the desire to make a difference in the world (think Columbus, Versace or Carrie Bradshaw). Their stories are not only exciting, but serve as inspiration, so that the next generation can follow their big dreams and desires.

Case in point: 24-year-old Ranya Batal began making inspirational T-shirts back in December 2011 to inspire her friends. What she wasn’t expecting was that her friends, their friends, family members and the world at large was also going to want to get their hands on these motivational T-shirts. Soon, Batal couldn’t keep up with the demand, and had to expand. Continue reading →

I remember my first time in New York City’s Times Square just like it was yesterday.

Walking down the packed sidewalk, I was absolutely overwhelmed. It was sensory overload like no other. Flashing displays, oodles of stores, people dressed in some of the most fabulous and hideous outfits I’d ever seen, and sidewalk trash as big as garbage trucks (which caused me to stop and stare, my mouth open in shock and almost triggering a sidewalk pileup—in Times Square you just keep moving!).

And now, I’ll have to go back so that I can also gawk at the upcoming H&M that will soon be part of the New York skyline (with an LED sign measuring 70 ft. Continue reading →