Since I'm closer to NY I never visited an outlet store. I always just went to the main store on 5th. I loved the counters. That was my favorite part. It was a lot of fun going to each of them and seeing all the products.
Saving Henri Bendel
- Thread starter theamericanchinadoll
- Start date
the store in San Diego isn't an outlet store. It's in a high end mall. Just a small HB store full of junky items
Wow I never knew that. The one in NY was nice. With that being said though, I haven't been there in years so am not aware of how it has been recently. I used to go a lot when I was younger before online shopping became very very popular.
We'd drive up to NY to purchase nice clothes and makeup back then. Now it's easier to purchase online from whatever retailer you wanted .
Not necessarily and the store wouldn’t be for sale if it is land leased, it would be the brand or license value it has. The problem is because LBrand treated HB like another mall brand but there is no brand awareness outside of nyc and that led to its demise. Juicy Couture is a great example. Also the rise of ecommence such as the RealReal, you can snag high end luxury goods for the price of midrange Bendel items.
Rather than dumping on the brand, I’d like to share some interesting trivia for history nerds like myself.
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I don't know that any of the other stores were outlets. The only store I ever visited was in Las Vegas. I bought my first Bendel purse there in 2013. After that I realized that most things don't sell out so I waited for sales. The last purse I bought from them was in 2015. I noticed a significant decline in quality in the last year or two.
Yeah they’ve been sending me a lot of coupons in the mail. Usually significant discounts with high price purchase. I didn’t take it as a sign of a struggle because I get them all the time from saks and Bloomingdales but come to think of it, they might be having a hard time too. I’m still upset that I didn’t get to purchase a Bendel train case. It is the same as Lv train case that cost $1600 whereas HB was only around $225. All pressed leather and gold plated. Not all their products declined but a lot of their seasonal items went downhill in the past few years. There was a newer version of a tiny evening bag I bough a few years ago and you notice the hardware is a lot lighter.
The satellite locations are not outlets but more like mini stores. It is a small slice of what you now see at the flagship store. Unfortunately, that is the problem. Both places have too much selection of the same kind of stuff. They need premium designers like whoa Barney’s has going on.
The satellite locations are not outlets but more like mini stores. It is a small slice of what you now see at the flagship store. Unfortunately, that is the problem. Both places have too much selection of the same kind of stuff. They need premium designers like whoa Barney’s has going on.
One thing I actually liked about their website was if I was looking at something and didn't buy, they would send me a free shipping offer in my email. Sometimes that encouraged me to buy it as I hate paying for shipping. However, many online retailers offer free shipping and free returns.
This thread is still going? Lol. If a business is no longer profitable, they shut down operations. Kinda simple.
It was a very innovative & wonderful store when it was on W.57th St. Quite special & unique.
I remember when they had a doll that was Buster the Doorman
We are in different times right now & Bendel sadly is not a "profitable business".
The location is prime & great but many have not survived with high rents & a booming internet
business.
I remember when they had a doll that was Buster the Doorman
We are in different times right now & Bendel sadly is not a "profitable business".
The location is prime & great but many have not survived with high rents & a booming internet
business.
All the articles published over the past couple of days point to the colossal financial losses of the company, along with its low name recognition in international markets. It’s not a particularly good candidate for a new owner or a relaunch. I’m certain that option has been considered. It’s sad to see a brand go but that’s business.
Yep I mentioned everything you said in the previous posts. I think it is worth keeping in just the flagship store in nyc and go back to the way the retailer originally was, which was like a Barney’s.
That's the problem, due to lack of brand awareness outside of NYC no one wanted to pay the prices they were asking for an essentially an obscure brand. They were asking Coach and Tory Burch prices for items with very little brand equity. IMO the 5th Ave flagship store was ruined once they dumped all the brands other than Bendel. It used to have a nice selection of other brands. Never bothered going in after that because the Bendel stuff itself was never that exciting to me. And all the costume jewelry seemed really overpriced for the quality.
I appreciated the Bendel stuff just like how I am ok with the coop stuff from Barneys. Neiman Marcus and saks also have their house brands that I buy occasionally because the quality is just fine. Personally, I always stopped by Bendel but really missed the eclectic selection they used to have.
I used to love going to Bendels, but to my eye, this is all self-inflicted damage. They used to carry lots of unusual stuff. Then they dropped clothing entirely, then they dropped outside brands entirely, then the quality of their branded stuff sank through the floor, taking the value of their name/brand right along with it.
No buyer is going to take on an attempt to resurrect a badly tarnished name like theirs is.
It is a shame, but the closure of some pretty great stores has been going on for so long now. Some I really miss still. Sigh...
No buyer is going to take on an attempt to resurrect a badly tarnished name like theirs is.
It is a shame, but the closure of some pretty great stores has been going on for so long now. Some I really miss still. Sigh...