Las Vegas Trade Show Retailers Juggle the Ups and Downs of the Economy
The thermometer in Las Vegas may have approached 105 degrees, but the economic climate in Inside the large trade shows scattered across the Las Vegas landscape was a bit chilly.
This has been a tough year for retailers re-evaluating their inventory mix and looking for trending products, must-have items as they strolled the booths of MAGIC and Project at the Las Vegas Convention Center and Las Vegas Apparel, a relatively new show at the World Market Center in downtown Las Vegas.
Dayna Mance, owner of Prism Boutique, a women's casual clothing store in Long Beach, California, south of Los Angeles, was inspecting clothes racks at Project as she cut back on purchases for her 25- to 45-year-old client. She expressed her concern. "It's been one of our toughest years in our 10-year history," she said, noting that her sales were down 33% from a year ago.
Related ArticlesThe COVID-19 pandemic helped his store see big sales as people shopped in line. But now customers travel far and dine at the restaurant. “We are becoming more and more demanding with what we buy. I think the key to our success is inventory control, making sure we're buying appropriately to make sales,” the shop owner said.
She mainly bought dresses and tops, which are some of the key things to have in this moment. For fall, she selected fashionable sweaters, white prairie skirts and low-rise denim pants to wear with bellied blouses. "I think high-waisted pants are here to stay, but younger girls are wearing low-rise pants," she said.
Julie LoForti is another boutique owner trying to figure out how to boost sales. His earnings are down 37% from a year ago at his Bella Forte boutique in downtown Turlock, a small farming community in Northern California. "People are just reducing their purchases," she said, noting that farmers in the region were hit hard by record rainfall earlier this year that flooded farmland.
It focuses on its proven brands, such as Kut du Kloth (its number-one seller), 7 For All Mankind and Mother denim. "I'm shopping for spring, hoping the fourth quarter ends well, and picking up a few more pieces for fall," she said.
Tony Chinn, Managing Director of The Buying Agency, was browsing the shows with his team to find the latest deals clothing and accessories for its customers. Its Los Angeles-based team attends all major apparel shows across the country and scours the Los Angeles fashion wholesale market to find great sale items for its 12 accounts.
He sees a wave of apprehension in retail, but his goal was to find products unique to him customers, who he says are doing well. Its accounts include Bling Glamour, with 25 locations across the Midwest, and live-selling platforms that need merchandise "to feed the machine constantly."
The thermometer in Las Vegas may have approached 105 degrees, but the economic climate in Inside the large trade shows scattered across the Las Vegas landscape was a bit chilly.
This has been a tough year for retailers re-evaluating their inventory mix and looking for trending products, must-have items as they strolled the booths of MAGIC and Project at the Las Vegas Convention Center and Las Vegas Apparel, a relatively new show at the World Market Center in downtown Las Vegas.
Dayna Mance, owner of Prism Boutique, a women's casual clothing store in Long Beach, California, south of Los Angeles, was inspecting clothes racks at Project as she cut back on purchases for her 25- to 45-year-old client. She expressed her concern. "It's been one of our toughest years in our 10-year history," she said, noting that her sales were down 33% from a year ago.
Related ArticlesThe COVID-19 pandemic helped his store see big sales as people shopped in line. But now customers travel far and dine at the restaurant. “We are becoming more and more demanding with what we buy. I think the key to our success is inventory control, making sure we're buying appropriately to make sales,” the shop owner said.
She mainly bought dresses and tops, which are some of the key things to have in this moment. For fall, she selected fashionable sweaters, white prairie skirts and low-rise denim pants to wear with bellied blouses. "I think high-waisted pants are here to stay, but younger girls are wearing low-rise pants," she said.
Julie LoForti is another boutique owner trying to figure out how to boost sales. His earnings are down 37% from a year ago at his Bella Forte boutique in downtown Turlock, a small farming community in Northern California. "People are just reducing their purchases," she said, noting that farmers in the region were hit hard by record rainfall earlier this year that flooded farmland.
It focuses on its proven brands, such as Kut du Kloth (its number-one seller), 7 For All Mankind and Mother denim. "I'm shopping for spring, hoping the fourth quarter ends well, and picking up a few more pieces for fall," she said.
Tony Chinn, Managing Director of The Buying Agency, was browsing the shows with his team to find the latest deals clothing and accessories for its customers. Its Los Angeles-based team attends all major apparel shows across the country and scours the Los Angeles fashion wholesale market to find great sale items for its 12 accounts.
He sees a wave of apprehension in retail, but his goal was to find products unique to him customers, who he says are doing well. Its accounts include Bling Glamour, with 25 locations across the Midwest, and live-selling platforms that need merchandise "to feed the machine constantly."
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