Le Chic Boutique

[ron_newman]

is apparently the name of a consignment store that's about to open at the former CD Spins location, 235 Elm Street.

Here's their website. I hope the store décor looks better than this.

The store owner advertised in a very strange way: as a comment to this 16-month old Somerville Journal article.

Comments

[teko.livejournal.com]

I hope they can find a way to differentiate themselves from Poor Little Rich Girl and Arifaktori. And maybe proofread their website a tad....

[jodi.livejournal.com]

it looks like they are trying to differentiate themselves via designer labels.
neither artifaktori nor poor little rich girl care much for the designer labels; they are both out for retro-cache and high-end designers are merely incidental, it seems. le chic seems to want to deal in hot-ticket purses and more expensive name brands.

[water-childe.livejournal.com]

good luck on making that bankable and competing with two other consignment shops within short walking distance. not tot mention, goodwill, which often has plenty of designer stuff, if you know how to hunt for it, at low low prices.
don't get me wrong, i love consignment shops, but davis already has more then a few, and i really wonder how well this is going to go down.

[jodi.livejournal.com]

the abundance of other like-stores is actually be a plus.

for example, if someone who doesn't live here already decides to go shopping for a new cute skirt, they might think of poor little rich girl but then decide that the risk is great of not finding something. but if they can think "hey, i can go to artifaktori, too" then they are more likely to come here. if they can add "well, let's hit up goodwill, too, and magpie, and davis squared...and that new le chic boutique" well then it has become a destination place and no one business is hanging on its own merchandise but on the promise of a collective shopping experience.

antique stores work this way, clothing shops, too, and may others.
I am skeptical that high-end anything is the way to go right now but used high end is selling way better than new high-end so that market will be sustained slightly longer as people decide to buy someone else's fendi bag rather than the season's latest.

la chic boutique

[pch1.livejournal.com]

from what i've seen since they to the garbage bags off the windows, it's looking a little more flea market and a little less Gucci. it makes their website look professional.

[haptotrope.livejournal.com]

ooooh! myspace school of web design!

Well, it will be official. People will go to Goodwill. Buy things, then cross the street to try to consign them -- let the carcass picking begin!

le chic boutique

[plittlergirl.livejournal.com]

Well, I agree that a similar store in the square helps the other like businesses.

Especially with parking being so hard, if someone thinks they can hit up a bunch of stores in one go, they might be more likely to come to Davis.

As far as the designer labels go at poor little rich girl, I LOVE them, it's just that people are not buying them new as much as they used to so as a result, they do not bring them in to consign.

Sadly I can only choose from what I am offered and I have seen a serious decline in the consigning of high end goods, as well as a decline in people wanting to pay for the high end goods, even as secondhand prices (generally 1/3-1/4 of retail, which when calculating that on an $800 Louis Vuitton bag is still a lot of $, I have to get the consignor a certain amount etc.)

In any event, I welcome le chic boutique, at least it isn't a burrito joint ! ;)

Meredith
owner, poor little rich girl

Re: le chic boutique

[artifaktori.livejournal.com]

I want to welcome this new store to the neighborhood and think its a great addition to the square!!! Perhaps im bias since its right up my alley. Costume jewelry? Hello? YES!
Davis sq. can be a challenging area for retail shops and i wish them the best of luck! Its certainly a nice high profile location. I agree with Meredith, networking and destination shopping is what Davis Sq. needs in order to keep its small businesses alive.
Why do people always talk SMACK about peoples businesses on this blog? When i first opened and found this site i was traumatized by the stuff i read about my shop. Its a community forum where people support their community. Your concerns are legit and its nice to converse about what's going on in your area and speculate but don't be a jerk and say insulting remarks.