Shopping gets chic on Main Street
Take a drive outside the 02116 zip code and the stores you see popping up in town centers may surprise you. In Wellesley, there's Gretta Luxe, Hazel & Grace, and Betsy's. Andover has Dresscode, and in Newton there is a National Jean Company. Mini chains such as Jasmine Sola have opened stores in Newton, Lexington, Hingham, and Canton; Crossing Main has locations in Hingham, Marblehead, and Wellesley; and French Lessons is in Concord and Newburyport. Boutiques and mini chains are changing the fashion landscape in Boston's suburbs, all within Interstates 95 and 495.
Retailers have found a growing audience among suburban, middle-age women who want to look stylish and shop close to home and young transplants who eschew the traditional preppy look. Some observers say the tipping point came in 2000 when Gretchen Monahan opened her Gretta Luxe boutique in Wellesley.
''People have been blown away by her success and as a result the mix is changing," said retail consultant and broker Annette Born of Urban/Born Associates. ''Many of the stores have changed their buys to reflect the demand of their consumer. And then you have a store like Jasmine Sola that has found a niche catering not only to the daughters but to their mothers who still feel young and hip."
The proliferation of boutiques and independent chains in town centers near Boston may only have been a matter of time, given the arithmetic. The Boston metropolitan area has the highest concentration of millionaires in the United States and that number is expected to increase by 50 percent in the next five years, according to data from two wealth management companies that studied the issue. Such numbers bode well for luxury labels, especially in wealthier suburbs.
Far from the rarefied streets of the Back Bay, major retailers, such as
Tess Enright and her partner, Carlos Pava, opened their store Tess & Carlos in Newton Centre in 1999. At the time, other than Alan Bilzerian and Gilda's, the center was known more for its eateries than its boutiques. The Chestnut Hill Mall and the Atrium contained chain stores and very few specialty retailers (apart from Barneys at Chestnut Hill).
Enright drew customers with her penchant for buying classic designer lines with an edge, such as Jil Sander, Paul Smith, Etro, and Collette Dinnegan -- luxe lines that transcend trends. Customers also were drawn to her philosophy of buying not just for 20-somethings, but for those in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. It is a formula that Enright and Pava hope to transport to other suburbs.
''Look, everyone wants to open an Intermix," said Enright, ''but I'm not all that interested in the trendy young girls."
Restaurateur Michela Larson started shopping at Tess when Enright opened a store in Harvard Square a decade ago. She still shops there but also likes the Newton Centre location for its large selection and convenience.
''Tess is the kind of person you can call and when you arrive she has pulled things that she knows I am going to look good in," Larson said. ''I also like the fact she pushes me a little -- takes me out of my comfort zone -- but it is always stuff that I can really wear. Department stores overwhelm me -- there's too much information in a big store, and it is hard to ferret out what you really need."
Larson says that part of Tess's success is location. ''People don't have to get dressed up to go shopping," she said. She also applauds the service and Enright's respect for different body types. ''It's not just about being a size two."
Jane Seifert, owner of the upscale children's clothing store Lester Harry's in Marblehead, said that when she opened, ''people looked at me like I was crazy." But, she said, ''I had a 'build-it-and-they-will-come' mentality." Her North Shore store opened in 1997, and in 2002 a second store, to accommodate urban moms, debuted on Newbury Street. ''The thing is, my customers shop both stores. The Marblehead girls like to get out of town once in a while and go to Newbury Street to get their hair done and of course go shopping."
Customers appreciate the level of service she provides, from putting together the latest Bugaboo stroller to helping first-time moms figure out what they really need. ''There is a lot going on in Marblehead, especially on Atlantic Avenue," said Seifert. ''Stores like Beauty Mark, C'est La Vie, Cuoio, have carved out a niche in the town, which has to date resisted the name stores."
It wasn't so long ago that small, eclectic suburban retailers seemed in danger of being consumed by behemoth department and chain stores, which have been a downtown staple. (Even Newbury Street has welcomed an H&M.) Nowadays, both they and independent chains are flocking to the suburbs, lured by lowers rents. A prime location in Wellesley costs $65 per square foot, $50 in Hingham, and $35 in Andover. By comparison, Newbury Street rents range, depending on the block, from $95 a square foot upward to $140, according to Born, the retail consultant.
The demographics of many suburbs have also changed, Born said, citing Sudbury as an example. ''The mom-and-pop mentality is gone, and in Sudbury's Mill Village there is a Periwinkles, which is also in Wellesley; a wonderful coffee shop with homemade pastries called Cafe Decadence; and a fun, hip fashion boutique, Native Sun," Born said.
Mall developers are also taking note. Many are taking their retail outdoors, creating what are called ''lifestyle centers." These open air shopping areas have popped up in areas such as Hingham, Dedham, and Reading. ''There's just more action in the suburbs these days, particularly in areas like Wellesley, Chestnut Hill, and Newton," Larson said.
