Lois Evans Showroom
Gerry Building Suite 503 (213) 438-0358
Lois Evans operates her showroom with a goal of building relationships with clients and buyers for the long haul. She is still representing her first client, German hosiery company Falke, with the same enthusiasm after eight years.
Evans was the first showroom to sign a lease in the Gerry Building three years ago, on the floor with pink hallways that has now become the Intimate Apparel section of the building. She fashioned her space with shabby-chic furniture to feel like a living room and offer an inviting atmosphere for buyers.
“I wanted it so that customers would come in, hang out and have lunch, coffee, a glass of wine. It makes for being social and knowing more about people than just taking their orders,” said Evans. “It’s so much better to sell one store, build your business with them and make them important than it is to sell anybody who walks in the door.”
Though the showroom carries primarily lingerie, hosiery and loungewear, Evans carries lifestyle items such as Vermont-based Mary Lee Harris Slippers, handmade with red velvet, leather soles and rabbit-fur trim, and The Pink Room, which includes perfume and hand-sewn teddy bears. The newest addition to her client list is the high-end Italian lingerie line Rosamosario.
Evans’ long-term success with Falke is due in part to the time she takes to educate the buyer about the technology-based product, such as the reason why socks are sized like shoes and the features on a sock designed specifically for sports like skating. “High-end is all about romancing. You really have to take the time and want to explain it to your customer. It’s not just holding up hangers and selling it,” said Evans.
Other lines carried in the showroom include Clo, Love & Merci, Polkadot USA, Sassybax, Gigi, Underwriters and Nippits.
—Rhea Cortado
