Retailers: Sales range from’OK’ to ‘phenomenal’

BOULDER – While most of the Boulder Valley’s new shopping centers feature old favorite retailers – Lowe’s, Michaels and Petco are sprouting up in Harvest Junction in Longmont, for example – a few new retailers have opened shop as well.

At Twenty Ninth Street, Boulder’s six-month-old “lifestyle shopping district,” several retailers have bravely entered the local marketplace with their first Boulder Valley storefronts.

Sales results for the first half year range from “OK” to “phenomenal,” but every retailer agrees on one thing – as more stores open and the temperature increases so will consumer spending.

Muttropolis bills itself as “a utopia for pets and their parents.” Because the store is so pet oriented it depends quite a bit on foot traffic – from both humans and their companions.

The colder-than-average winter put a damper on sales, although Store Manager Inger Hiller said the store is “right on target where we want to be.”

As the only Muttropolis in Colorado, Hiller is getting attention by co-marketing with local charitable organizations. It’s one of the sponsors of the Canine Classic 5K and 10K Walk With Dogs on Sunday, April 15, to Benefit Moving to End Sexual Assault.

Hiller is running pet and guardian “meet-ups” as well as a Howlistic Health & Spaw Day on Saturday, April 28.

“We’re getting the word out that we’re here, and it’s getting better and better all the time,” Hiller said.

She expects to see more traffic when the weather warms up because the outdoor weather will attract more people out shopping with their dogs.

Although Boulder is home to other pet specialty stores – P.C.’s Pantry, Farfel’s Farm and others – Hiller doesn’t think there’s much competition for Muttropolis.”What we have to offer is complementary not in competition. We offer a variety of things for dogs and cats,” she said.

Liz Taylor owns the two lululemon athletica franchises in Colorado, one at Twenty Ninth Street and a smaller store in Denver’s Cherry Creek North retail district. “It’s going well,” Taylor said of the Boulder store. “We are happy to be there. It’s a beautiful location.”

The store, which sells yoga and athletic wear for women and men, is meeting its sales goals and traffic has been good, she said. Winter wasn’t the best, but since the weather has cleared up, “We’re seeing a lot of people who are now checking it out.”

Taylor is looking forward to the influx of business in the summer and fall.

Almost directly across from lululemon, women’s workout apparel and accessories retailer lucy launched its first Colorado store.

According to Store Manager Heather Graham, the Boulder lucy has been the No. 1 store in the company since it opened in October 2006.

“We totally exceeded our goals,” she said. Graham would not state sales numbers but said, “We have blown it away, (we have) really done well.”

Not only is the Boulder lucy the first in the state, it’s the company’s flagship store. Assistant Manager Rebecca Liotard relocated from northern California to help get it off the ground. “Traffic will only get better as other stores move into the shopping center,” she said. “I can’t see us not doing well.”

The plethora of active apparel stores in the Boulder Valley isn’t an issue for the two newcomers.

“I don’t know if you can have such a thing as outdoor apparel overload,” Taylor said. “It’s a positive. It creates even more of draw for people looking for things in the outdoors market. I think it increases awareness to have more like-minded retailers in one location.”

Francesca’s Collections, a women’s apparel, accessories and gift boutique, now has three Colorado locations – Southland Shopping Center in Aurora, Centerra in Loveland and its Twenty Ninth Street location.

The Boulder store is “doing decently well, especially with the warmer weather,´ said Store Manager Suzanne Hardy.

Nicer days have caused traffic to pick up “about 100 percent” she said.

Acorn, which sells high-end women’s apparel and accessories, opened its first Colorado stores at Aspen Grove in Littleton and Twenty Ninth Street last year.

It’s all about building clientele, said Store Manager Rita Bartram. “People in Colorado aren’t familiar with Acorn. We’re getting our name out there, that we have fun, funky clothes.”

Bartram said once people see the merchandise they understand the Acorn style. “I think Boulder definitely ‘gets’ us.”

The opening of the Borders bookstore has brought more customers to her store, Bartram said. “We’re glad they are here.”

Both Hardy and Bartram think traffic will improve once the long-delayed movie theater opens. “We all had high hopes for that, and it depends on the mall being open until 9 p.m.,” Hardy said. “If it’s a nice night out and they see an earlier matinee, they can shop after the movie.”

Contact Caron Schwartz Ellis at 303-440-4950 or csellis@bcbr.com.

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