Southern Tide products comprised about 20% of product sales at Fred Rowe’s Gentlemen’s & Lady Outfitters store on St. Simons Island, a simple fact that did not go unnoticed by corporate.
Rowe was offered a alternative: open a keep entirely dedicated to Southern Tide solutions or the organization will open up a corporate-owned retail outlet.
The choice to open a retail outlet two doors down from the Gentlemen’s & Girl Outfitters locale at Shops at Sea Island was not tough for Rowe simply because the merchandise in both equally shops emphasizes the coastal lifestyle.
“I would have experienced levels of competition,” he explained. “It was contend versus myself or compete in opposition to a person else. It is a occupied browsing centre.”
Essentially, equally outlets appeal to the similar shoppers trying to find top quality, light-weight, informal apparel. It is not uncommon for Rowe or his workforce to counsel heading to the other retail store if they do not find what they are on the lookout for.
Rowe held a ribbon reducing to celebrate the grand opening of the Southern Tide shop earlier this month.
Rowe mentioned he experienced to use 3 new employees when he opened his new keep. An additional six personnel get the job done at the Gentlemen’s story a few doors absent.
Rowe mentioned about 40% of his buyers are people, another 30% are guests who return on a typical basis and the remaining organization is from vacationers.
He took in excess of possession of the Gentlemen’s & Girl Outfitters keep from his father-in-regulation Frank Even now Jr. and Still’s sister Elizabeth in 2019.
They acquired the Athletic Attic retail store found at the outdated Brunswick Shopping mall in 1983, prior to transferring the retail store to St. Simons Island. They developed Gentlemen’s Outfitters in 1994, ahead of retiring and turing more than possession to Rowe, who has been working for the corporation considering that 2000.
He stated he talks “regularly” with his father-in-law about the business enterprise since he took above.
“He didn’t want his daughter to go hungry so he gave me a occupation,” Rowe stated. “I realized successful enterprise homeowners have to be up front conversing to buyers. You just can’t be an proprietor who is on vacation all the time or in the back business.”