California Apparel News

One-stop shopping is a concept that is constantly evolving, and for some retailers, the latest spin is to combine clothing sales with salon and beauty services.

Salons are capitalizing on their close relationships with clients by adding everything from accessories to full-on boutiques. The concept is not entirely new but appears to be gaining momentum.

“It’s becoming a bigger thing, and the regular stores don’t like it. They see it as a threat,” said one Los Angeles–based manufacturer representative who sells clothing to several beauty salons. The source declined to be named.

At Barbarella in Willow Glen, Calif., near San Jose, customers can get their hair cut and styled at one station, then get their faces done at the makeup studio and shop for hip contemporary labels in the clothing boutique—all under one roof.

“It’s more accessible and easier for everyone this way. It’s so much more convenient for our clients,” noted store manager Alicia Paquette. “They can look good and feel better about themselves in one afternoon.”

Store owner Rebecca Sell is a licensed makeup artist who wanted to combine style services under one roof. She launched the store about five years ago in another location nearby. Sell recently moved it to a smaller, cozier setup.

“Rebecca is extremely creative. She always finds ways to keep everything fresh here,” Paquette said.

The store’s beauty stylists work separately from the boutique, but conversations about new Fall lines seem to come up often during appointments, said Paquette, who added it’s not necessarily a hard sell.

Lines in the store include AG Jeans, LAMB, Blue Tattoo, Tool, Soul Revival, Yogi, Industry and Ecoganik.

The BEBA Beauty Day Spa & Boutique in Los Angeles’ Westwood neighborhood added a clothing boutique about 1frac12; years ago when space became available as the company relocated its nail station.

“We had been selling accessories, so it was a natural transition,” said owner Lana Felleti, whose father works in the textile business, giving her some understanding of the industry prior to adding the boutique. Felleti’s mother, Julia Pikosz, founded the salon 20 years ago.

“We have a huge array of [beauty] clientele, so we try to reflect it with the clothing,” said Felleti, adding that she primarily carries contemporary and reworked vintage.

Traffic has improved since the business added apparel, Felleti said. “The window displays bring in a lot of walk-in traffic,” she said.

The aim is to provide a complete day spa experience with skin care, facials, waxing, spray tanning, etc. The salon recently received a “Best in L.A.” award from Allure magazine. The clothing caps the day. Lines include Super Lucky Cat, Commando, Hanky Panky, Lucy B., American Apparel, Taxi CDC, Erica Weiner, Christy’s hats, and an array of vintage boots and handbags.

Felleti said the clothing/salon concept is catching on. “I see more of it now. When I started, there was very little,” she said. “It’s all about providing service.”

Romi Garcia of the Embellish salon in La Quinta, Calif., near Palm Springs, agreed with the service aspect of addon clothing sales.

“The clothing does well here. We have a good location in Old Town La Quinta, which helps,” she said. The salon sells Billy Blues denim and assorted swimwear.

The salon offers a full line of services, including hair, nails, facials, and hair and eyelash extensions. Makeup artist Joan Mazzei of Newport Beach, Calif., comes into the salon often with her own line of skin-care products.

And the Chaz Dean Salon in Hollywood has built up an add-on business with “Wen” T-shirts, candles, homemade notebooks, handmade jewelry, body oils, pillows and other items.

“The reason I initially started selling the lifestyle products is because clients would always want to purchase pieces I displayed as part of the decor of the salon,” Dean said. “I therefore began to carry items that went along with the salon’s decor but were for sale, so that way clients could ’take home’ a part of the ambience of the salon, which enables them to continue their salon experience at home.”

Dean, who has staged numerous fashion shows on his property, said the value of carrying fashion products contributes to the branding of Chaz Dean, which now includes e-commerce capabilities at www.chazdean.com/chazdeanstudio. —Robert McAllister