Not-so-good news for Natick?
In case you missed it, Globe business reporter Jenn Abelson wrote an interesting piece in Sunday's paper about business (or lack thereof) at the nascent Natick Collection.
Here's a taste:
"The highly anticipated Natick Collection, a suburban bastion of luxury shopping where some rents are higher than coveted Newbury Street, is off to a slow start, according to retail analysts, store owners, managers, and employees at more than a dozen stores."
I had a particularly fruitful shopping trip there just after Christmas — my favorite purchases included gray suede wedges from Zara, a patent leather tote from Martin & Osa, a giant cheese grater from Williams & Sonoma (no, really), and several sweaters from Anthropologie. But I haven't been back since. Although I'm crazy about shopping, I also look for convenience. And driving to Natick for stores I can visit by taking the T downtown? Not so convenient. Especially with such high gas prices.
What do you think, Stylephilers? How many times have you been to the Natick Collection? What are your thoughts on Abelson's story?
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Considering Victoria's Secret was upset they didn't take space in the "Collection," I'm sure they are happy with the decision to stay put now. It seems the Natick Collection is getting dusty and I'm sorry I've been there and it all seems too "frou frou" to me.
I was gonna do a write-up on Abelson's story too.
I am actually not surprised that it's not doing as well as expected.
When I first hear they were building a luxury shopping destination, I thought, "Great!" But then I heard about the location and thought, "Aww... Too bad!"
Why?
Well, I don't own a car. For me, Boston's not a car-city. So why would I take a Zipcar or taxi outside the city to visit stores I know I can get to here?
I also think that people who live outside the city probably approach luxury shopping differently than those in the city. For example: I don't mind paying a lot for a Chloe or Foley+Corinna handbag because I have passed on the luxury of owning a car and living outside the city. But my friends who live in Needham are quite different... They prefer the big house and nice car in the suburbs. But that means they don't luxury shop.
Perhaps, if they offered free bus services there from South Station, I would make it out to the Natick Collection. They do that in NYC... They offer free buses to the Ikea in Elizabeth, NJ every Saturday.
The only people who can afford to shop at the Natick Collection are the shoplifters. The new wing will eventually become the much needed new Natick High School.
Hey Stylephile, What's the word on Lois Boston?? Sounds like they lost their lease. Are people just not interested in luxury shopping anymore?
The article only seems to focus on bashing the Natick Collection. If the editor did some more reserach they would find that retail stores everywhere (high end and not-so high end), including Newbury Street have been suffering in this economy. This story would have made a point if the editor could have shown that other high-end stores in the area have been prospering over the past year, but the fact is that they have not. It has nothing to do with Natick and I expect that over time there wont be anything else to write about - except maybe the traffic on Rt. 9.....
Now if it was a fabulous outlet, maybe. But drive to Natick to pay full price? Ummmm.....no. And once you get there, you're in ..... Natick.
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