California Apparel News

Like other private online-sale sites, TheSurpriseStore.com hopes to lure customers with discounted goods offered for a limited time. Unlike its precursors, which include Gilt Group and Billion Dollar Babes, TheSurpriseStore.com is steering clear of the designer and contemporary categories.

“There are plenty of [other sites] targeting that demographic and doing a very good job of it. We have no interest in the better contemporary market,” said Mark Freeman, founder of TheSurpriseStore.com. That’s an interesting stance, considering that Freeman and his wife, Jill Roberts, own Jill Roberts, a three-store chain of designer/contemporary stores, and are in the process of relaunching Seaton, a contemporary collection for women. Freeman said it’s that same experience that is pushing him to branch out. “Our concept is to target the action-sports market and the Urban Outfitters–type customer. We’re using a similar concept [as the designer and contemporary sale sites] and trying to reach a younger demographic of 14- to 39-year-olds.”

Even in an environment where retailers are asking for at-once and Immediate goods, there is always something left over languishing in a warehouse, Freeman said. That’s where TheSurpriseStore.com comes in, Freeman said. The site offers brands an alternative to traditional distribution routes that requires minimal effort. Typically in the action-sports and related markets, excess goods have been sold in parking-lot sales or sent to discounters such as Loehmann’s and Ross.

For a fee, TheSurpriseStore.com, so named because shoppers never know what they’re going to find, will shop brands’ excess goods and do everything from pick up the goods to photograph them on models, market the pop-up sale and ship the goods.

Since its launch on Oct. 1, the members-only site has held 24-hour to 72-hour sales for brands such as Cohesive, Sub_Urban Riot and Altru Apparel. T-shirts from Sub_Urban Riot for men and women sold on the site for $15 to $37—approximately 50 percent off the original retail price. Most of TheSurpriseStore.com’s sales will offer similarly discounted goods, with some sales reaching up to 80 percent off the items’ original price. Freeman hinted that some of surfing’s major players are in final talks to sell on the site but declined to give specific names.

Beyond selling off inventory, TheSurpriseStore.com could expose niche surf/skate brands to consumers who may otherwise not have access to them, Freeman said. “There is a whole pool of consumers out there that shop online and are savvy to online sale sites,” Freeman said, and they might not shop in core shops. So far, 50,000 users have signed up on the site, with 100,000 expected to join by the end of 2009.

Skullcandy iPhone App Launches

Surfers, skaters and snowboarders can now get geeky about board-riding with the new Skullcandy iPhone application. Launched Oct. 12 by the headphone and audio-accessories maker, the free application gives users up-to-date information on snow conditions and provides five-day forecasts, surf reports and a tool to find nearby skate parks.

The application—which was developed in partnership with Surfline.com, Onthesnow.com, True Anthem and Episodic—also features a music player, videos of Skullshy;candy riders, a mobile Skullcandy store and blog, and Skullcandy dealer locations.