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Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Disney goes upscale in new Downtown store
Vault 28, an outlet for women opening today, sells $60 T-shirts and high-end jeans.
By HANG NGUYEN
The Orange County Register
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister...le_1308431.php
Has anyone been in Downtown Disney lately?
Disney goes upscale in new Downtown store
Vault 28, an outlet for women opening today, sells $60 T-shirts and high-end jeans.
By HANG NGUYEN
The Orange County Register
The new shop carries $60 T-shirts, $180 velvet track suits and $540 chocolate cashmere throws.
You might think it's an upscale boutique at South Coast Plaza. Rather, it's the first-of-its-kind women's clothing store called Disney Vault 28 that opens today at Downtown Disney in Anaheim.
The T-shirt has been washed six times to give it a distressed look and features Tinkerbell, a small castle adorns the back of the track pants and a Mickey appliqué decorates the throw.
Disney is opening the boutique to meet demand from customers asking for more high-end merchandise. The company has been selling hip contemporary clothing for about six years at places such as the upscale boutique Fred Segal and its own store, World of Disney.
For Disney Vault 28, it launched a new label called Kingdom Couture. In the future, the company may expand Kingdom Couture and other exclusive items to high-end boutiques or places such as World of Disney on Fifth Avenue in New York. Additional Disney Vault 28 shops in Hong Kong, Paris and Tokyo are possible.
Jennifer Snow, 33, of Lake Forest, has been eagerly awaiting the opening of Disney Vault 28 – which is designed to look like a converted bank vault. The 28 is a nod to the year 1928, when Mickey Mouse came to life.
Snow has held Disneyland annual passes for 12 years, and she sells Disney Couture jewelry at her Wisteria Home shop at Laguna Hills Mall.
"I've been a Disney fan since I was little, and I've been really excited for this store to open," she said.
Snow has bought $60 to $120 couture Disney T-shirts and other items from World of Disney. She'd love to buy more.
"You can find a Mickey Mouse T-shirt anywhere," she said. "I'd like to find something of nice quality that's not available everywhere."
Snow said she'll visit the new store for its Disney merchandise and out of convenience; she might also grab a pair of designer jeans even though she can buy that elsewhere.
About half of the items at the 1,185-square-foot shop come from high-end brands, such as a $150 Chip & Pepper pair of denims and $188 Betsey Johnson pink sunglasses.
Other brands include Red Monkey, Tarina Tarantino and Kidada Jones (Quincy Jones' daughter), which have a celebrity following.
It's one of the reasons, Disney chose Downtown Disney as its first location for the new boutique.
"With Hollywood in our backyard, it made sense to kick off here in the West Coast," said Mary Murray, director of merchandise.
Downtown Disney is not only targeting Disney devotees with the new boutique but also non-fans as the company attempts to broaden the shopping center's audience beyond tourists.
About half of the shoppers who hit the five-year-old Downtown Disney are tourists, said Dan Hough, operations manager for Downtown Disney.
In August, the company kicked off an advertising campaign in magazines and on buses to let locals know Downtown Disney isn't just for visitors, said Hough.
George Whalin, chief executive of Retail Management Consultants in San Marcos, doesn't know how much that or the new boutique will help alter Downtown Disney's image as a tourist spot.
"Downtown Disney is a tourist destination," he said. "I don't know how much Disney can do to change that. And that's not a bad thing."
You might think it's an upscale boutique at South Coast Plaza. Rather, it's the first-of-its-kind women's clothing store called Disney Vault 28 that opens today at Downtown Disney in Anaheim.
The T-shirt has been washed six times to give it a distressed look and features Tinkerbell, a small castle adorns the back of the track pants and a Mickey appliqué decorates the throw.
Disney is opening the boutique to meet demand from customers asking for more high-end merchandise. The company has been selling hip contemporary clothing for about six years at places such as the upscale boutique Fred Segal and its own store, World of Disney.
For Disney Vault 28, it launched a new label called Kingdom Couture. In the future, the company may expand Kingdom Couture and other exclusive items to high-end boutiques or places such as World of Disney on Fifth Avenue in New York. Additional Disney Vault 28 shops in Hong Kong, Paris and Tokyo are possible.
Jennifer Snow, 33, of Lake Forest, has been eagerly awaiting the opening of Disney Vault 28 – which is designed to look like a converted bank vault. The 28 is a nod to the year 1928, when Mickey Mouse came to life.
Snow has held Disneyland annual passes for 12 years, and she sells Disney Couture jewelry at her Wisteria Home shop at Laguna Hills Mall.
"I've been a Disney fan since I was little, and I've been really excited for this store to open," she said.
Snow has bought $60 to $120 couture Disney T-shirts and other items from World of Disney. She'd love to buy more.
"You can find a Mickey Mouse T-shirt anywhere," she said. "I'd like to find something of nice quality that's not available everywhere."
Snow said she'll visit the new store for its Disney merchandise and out of convenience; she might also grab a pair of designer jeans even though she can buy that elsewhere.
About half of the items at the 1,185-square-foot shop come from high-end brands, such as a $150 Chip & Pepper pair of denims and $188 Betsey Johnson pink sunglasses.
Other brands include Red Monkey, Tarina Tarantino and Kidada Jones (Quincy Jones' daughter), which have a celebrity following.
It's one of the reasons, Disney chose Downtown Disney as its first location for the new boutique.
"With Hollywood in our backyard, it made sense to kick off here in the West Coast," said Mary Murray, director of merchandise.
Downtown Disney is not only targeting Disney devotees with the new boutique but also non-fans as the company attempts to broaden the shopping center's audience beyond tourists.
About half of the shoppers who hit the five-year-old Downtown Disney are tourists, said Dan Hough, operations manager for Downtown Disney.
In August, the company kicked off an advertising campaign in magazines and on buses to let locals know Downtown Disney isn't just for visitors, said Hough.
George Whalin, chief executive of Retail Management Consultants in San Marcos, doesn't know how much that or the new boutique will help alter Downtown Disney's image as a tourist spot.
"Downtown Disney is a tourist destination," he said. "I don't know how much Disney can do to change that. And that's not a bad thing."
Has anyone been in Downtown Disney lately?
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