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Threadless To Launch Retail Stores, Everybody Panic, Etc. Etc.
While there have been a few hints that the Threadless braintrust have been busily plotting the best way to build into a physical store, confirmation hit in a big way in this Chicago Sun-Times article from today.
SkinnyCorp raised an undisclosed amount of capital from Insight Venture Partners, a New York-based firm that funded pre-public Click Commerce in 1999. Proceeds will be invested in developing retail stores, starting in Chicago, and international distribution.
I have to say that I have some mixed feelings about this. For me, one of the primary allures to the Threadless brand is that it feels like I’m part of a small club. I can see someone in a store wearing a Threadless shirt and give them a Fight Club-like nod. We both understand because we’ve both been there. I totally understand Jake and Jacob wanting to take this to the moon, because that’s what you do with your dreams. And they deserve it. But I also would love to see them maintain an interesting approach to this whole retail concept. Perhaps they should keep limited their yields per shirt print and instead print a bunch more designs. Economies of scale aren’t working out in the the same, traditional way for them anymore, for a lot of reasons… I guess I like the exclusivity.
It’ll be a slow process, of course, and it’s not like you’re going to see Threadless shirts for sale in Anchor Blue or Urban Outfitters anytime soon, but it’s still a bit of a shift for them. Congratulations, guys, but keep it real. It’s what makes Threadless a joy to wear.
Read The Article | Oh, and: 2 Days Left To The $10 Sale!
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Jeffrey said,
December 19, 2006 @ 8:37 am
Fear not! There’s no way we’d have Threadless be how it is online, and then toss together a regular-old-boring retail store just to have one. Trust me in saying it’ll be like nothing you’ve seen before. That is, when it happens. The one thing I’ve learned this year as the Jakes and I have gotten more and more press is don’t believe what you read. They never get anything right, always mess up or completely leave out dates or facts which lead people to believe something that is just not so.
We’ve never kept things secrets from our community unless it was for a good reason, like a big awesome surprise. It won’t start now – believe me.
- Jeffrey
Joe said,
January 3, 2007 @ 10:15 pm
Wow, I can’t believe I didn’t find out about this until today… I guess I must have gouged out my eyes or something. I can’t wait for the store to open! It will definitely be worth a visit…