Northampton is a town that people have recently described as a smaller Harvard Square due to its originality and energy. The townies of Northampton are very unique in how they portray themselves. Many smelly homeless linger the streets asking for spare change or an extra cigarette, the older folks tend to be very earthy and all natural, while the younger crowd seems to be hip and into their own genre of fashion. The town is a little city made up of many small shops and restaurants, but more than not they are a one of a kind place. This unique shopping scene and artsy reputation draws a lot of tourism. It’s all about organic and naturally made products whether it be the food or the clothing. One store in particular does not fit with the status quo of this town’s ideals. This chain retail store is Urban Outfitters Inc.
Urban Outfitters is located at the end of the popular shopping strip on Main St. in Northampton. The store was added to this town roughly three years ago in an old building which used to be a bank. As you walk down the street you would never know it was a retail store never mind the infamous trendy Urban Outfitters. The building is surrounded by similar architecture; those being an old brick church and the old library as well as the courthouse. The sign is above the door and so small that you actually have to look for it before you have the interest to go in. No wonder shoppers always make the comment about “never knowing this store existed here.” Due to the lack of knowledge that this chain store is located here plays a part in its low volume of business.
Urban Outfitters was founded in 1970 and has since been described as a funky hip store always a step ahead of the rest. They target the ages of 18-30 with their vintage clothing, quirky T-shirts, oversized tops and unique home décor. There are now over 180 stores located just in the U.S and that does not include the other related chains such as Anthropologie, Free People and more. The sound system booms out the latest indie-rock music and portrays the latest and forthcoming fashion of this particular niche. That’s the mission of the corporation anyways.
This chain in general is supposed to be targeting those of a young age and the hipster trend. This trend is hidden somewhere within the gorgeous architecture of the Northampton store, but it is not merchandised in the manor to make people aware and inspired. The style is supposed to portray grungy bohemian hipsters using clothes as a way to say something about who they are or what they like. Being surrounded by many colleges, two being Smith College and Hampshire College, being unique and expressing yourself through your image is very important. Urban and its vintage styled clothing would allow for this if only it was offered in the correct fashion. This proved to be true during one of the most important times of retail business, back-to-school shopping, when Urban Outfitters in Northampton dropped into the lowest 10 stores of the country.
This particular store in Northampton may have the hip styles of what Urban offers, but the way it’s presented to the shopper makes it hard to find the product or style appealing. The store has recently gone through extreme changes in the past months which have greatly affected the volume of business. The women’s department has become a chaotic mess, no longer having a merchandiser who organizes and runs the way things look. It has been described of looking similar to the popular unorganized Forever 21.
As you walk in you see the manikins have on outfits that do not portray a creative use of clothes and does not give much room for inspiration to its shoppers. They are dressed in a simple strapless dress with an open cardigan and tights covered with leggings, or a tight pare of grazers and a basic tee with a jean jacket over it. That is what the people rely on; inspiration on how to wear the funky clothes. The manikins don’t give much inspiration, more just a middle school outfit. Sweaters that should be folded are hung and shirts that are folded need to be hung. Along with the women’s clothing department is the women’s accessories department. This part of the store is a cluttered mess and does not allow the eye to shop around; it just looks at the cluster of original accessories.
The men’s department on the other hand is what is carrying the business. It sports trendy outfits for what’s hip at the time and gives a great display of what they’re offering. You’d think they’d want this in the front of the store perhaps, but it’s in the back. This is because women’s apparel is the main driving force behind the success of Urban Outfitters, but not in this store.
So is it really the lack of the awareness and the lack of signage that allows for this store to be unsuccessful or is it just the way it’s managed. Many things suggest that it could be the location that hurts the business, but whether it is employees, shoppers or corporate themselves the way the store looks may be the biggest injury to their rank. The unique trends they offer are what draw people to come in and purchase clothing, and if they don’t see that the minute they walk through the door, their outlook of the products will diminish. In the end this is the funky unique Urban Outfitters, not the chaotic mess of Forever 21.
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