Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Gregory's Will Soon Open in Lenox Square's Luxury Wing

Dallas, Texas based Gregory's Shoes will soon open a large boutique in Lenox Square's Luxury Wing. Taking multiple spaces adjacent to Neiman-Marcus, this will be Gregory's fourth location. The first Gregory's opened in the early 90s in Dallas and was soon followed by a store in Houston, and most recently, in the Grand Canal Shops in Las Vegas (between the Venetian and Palazzo Hotels.) Interestingly, their  location in Dallas is also near Neiman-Marcus. The store carries luxury men's and women's clothing, shoes, and accessories by a variety of high end designers.

Gregory's caters to the affluent consumer who appreciates
luxury designers that produce in limited quantities and in some cases, exclusively for Gregory's. Items such as a $215 Cali crystal belt buckle, a $325 Pasotti umbrella, $448 Lanvin hex bangle and nearly $3600 Caporicci alligator biker boot were spotted on their website. I've worked high-end retail and read up heavily on trends and designers but even I was unfamiliar with a number of the designers they carry. I'm told most of their merchandise is made in either Italy or France. Recent industry talk seems to suggest that many designers are returning to the days of limited production runs and strict product distribution. Many are limiting sales and making less product. The top 1% of Americans seek out the most luxurious goods available, goods they covet as they feel they are regarded as the very best. It would seem that this is the consumer Gregory's is targeting. Needless to say, this unpaid blogger won't be buying his next pair of oxfords from this establishment.

As their name suggests, a large part of their business is shoes, similar to that of Jeffrey and . Jeffrey Kalinsky's family ran Bob Ellis Shoes in their hometown of Charleston, South Carolina since 1950, and later opened locations in Phipps Plaza and SouthPark Mall in Charlotte, North Carolina. Today, only the Charleston location remains. Jeffrey occupies the original Bob Ellis Phipps Plaza location, with a second store in New York's trendy Meatpacking District. Kalinsky sold a 51% stake in Jeffrey to Nordstrom in 2005, but remains an integral part of the business.

The spaces they will take include the former Hermes space that is currently a temporary store for Ferragamo as they undergo an expansion and renovation. The second space is the former Nicole Miller that was most recently occupied by PURE Denim but was recently vacated when PURE moved upstairs to the shuttered Calvin Klein White Label store.

At one point, there was talk that Intermix would relocate from their current location in Phipps Plaza and take the spaces Gregory's will soon occupy. It's unclear what exactly transpired, but apparently Intermix is hopeful they will be able to expand at Phipps, perhaps by taking over their current neighbor, Anne Fontaine. Additionally, there have been widespread rumors that Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel and Tom Ford, among others, have scouted Atlanta in hopes of opening boutiques. The current and upcoming lineup in the Luxury Wing leaves little room for such brands in Lenox, and the upcoming Lego invasion at Phipps has many luxury retailers thinking twice about opening in the mall.

I'm told Gregory's will open in late August but I think it will be later.


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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Then Simon should tell Pure to hit the road. Why allow them to stay if they could bring in Chanel?

Anonymous said...

Pure cannot last at the monstrous space it now occupies. The tackiness factor of that store is only equaled by the MTV show "Jersey Shore". Every time I pass, I expect to run into Snookie or the Situation emerging bedecked in denim and crystals. Eeeeeeeek!

Anonymous said...

Maybe they will open in the former streets of buckhead development?

Anonymous said...

Gregorys in Dallas relocated to NorthPark near Neimans last year, the "original" location was in the Galleria. YSL and Tom Ford ? cmon dont be silly..

Anonymous said...

Great addition for Atlanta. This store is amazing. And yes, the original store was in Galleria Dallas not where it is located now.

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