Thursday, May 21, 2009

Tracy Feith Hits Target

...and high-value propsects promptly fly out of stock!

We were first introduced to the designer by none other than our fabulous First Lady, Mrs. Michelle Obama and her lovely choice of dress to the National Prayer Service the morning after her husband's Inauguration.



The designer, a Texan born surfer turned fashion dude, has a pretty interesting story too...

We were hoping to get our Michelle O on in this very ValStyle number:



but may have to settle for a comparable alternative:


Get yours while it's hot!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

ValStyle Offers Advice to Aspiring Entrepreneurs on EntreWorld Today Radio


On the morning of Saturday April 25, Bobby Norrson, host of EntreWorld Today Radio Show invited us on to share the story of how we started ValStyle, and offer advice to aspiring entrepreneurs. Bobby founded the show over 8 years ago with the goal of creating the foremost trusted resource for entrepreneurs nationwide. The show’s mission is to point current and future entrepreneurs in the right direction through a straightforward and entertaining message with tips on how to launch, grow, market and maintain successful businesses.

The show broadcasts in Raleigh, NC from 8am-9am every Saturday morning, but anyone can listen live on the web.

Listen to our interview on Hello Beautiful!

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Mayhem at Mayle Closing in NYC


About a week and a half ago, I spent two fairly excruciating hours on what had to be the longest, slowest moving line in sample sale history! While waiting, I encountered everyone from quitters to disgruntled shoppers to patient loyalists who had already been waiting for five and a half hours!!...it all got me wondering -- how could a designer with such a fanatic customer base be going out of business? Didn't help that a couple nights before and four storefronts over, BabyStyle, owner of Cadeau Maternity shuttered all 6 of its doors and its web business-after 10 years of delivering maternity chic-in a liquidation of an expectantista's lifetime. So, what gives?

Is the economy gobbling up everything from excessive output to products people actually want, will wait and pay for? Has the recession killed the fundamental indicators of of successful business as we know it? I couldn't let this go, so I went home and did some research. Here were my findings: as it turns out, Jane Mayle decided to shutter her decade old line, despite healthy $5 million dollar annual revenues in 65 wholesale accounts, because she sensed the bubble before it burst and was ready to gracefully bow out. She'd actually decided to end the line earlier last year, and told Womens Wear Daily

"It seems like a commercial cul-de-sac in a way that the customer gets tired before collections even hit stores," Mayle said. "How I came into this business was all about dreaming and building a wardrobe you would be seduced by. That mystery and remoteness ans insouciance have disappeared from fashion in order to accelerate the product. I feel I have just become another cog in that machinery."

Well, Kudos to her for quitting while ahead. As scary as it is to see two popular storefronts on Elizabeth Street shut down within days of each other, not to mention all the other empty storefronts in the city, maybe this recession is for the better.

Maybe everyone recalibrates and this downturn leads us away from cheap money and excess and back to basics alongside creativity when it comes to American business.

Editorial Note: This post was originally published on Hello Beautiful.

Shopping Note: Are you a Mayle enthusiast? Email val@valstyleonline.com to check out what was acquired before it goes online!