Store closures give Mizzen+Main time to strategize Houston debut
The Heights checked the boxes for Mizzen+Main, a Dallas-based retailer of dress shirts and casual menswear.
Its store, which sells clothing made of performance fabrics with a little stretch and wicking properties, opened at 707 Yale St. near Heights Mercantile on Aug. 17. The opening, originally planned in spring, was delayed due to the coronavirus.
It is the seventh brick-andmortar location for the brand, which got its start in 2012 after founder Kevin Lavelle on a hot day in Washington, D.C., watched congressmen, staffers and interns sweat in their cotton dress shirts. He set out to create the “world’s most comfortable dress shirt.”
The company ramped up in 2014, selling both online and wholesale. Its products are available at more than 800 locations, including menswear shops and Nordstrom.
After opening its first Mizzen+Main store in Fort Worth in 2017, others followed in Dallas, Oklahoma City, Coral Gables, Fla., Tampa and Austin as part of the company’s omnichannel strategy.
It is the latest retailer to grow its physical store presence after starting out online. Others include Warby Parker, an eyewear chain; Tecovas, a handcrafted boots store and Madison Reed, a hair color products company.
Mizzen+Main looks at markets where sales have been strong through the other channels in selecting spots for its own stores.
“We were really thrilled to get into the Houston market,” said CEO Chris Phillips. “It’s one we’ve been eyeing for a long time.”
On a trip to scout out locations last fall, Phillips noticed young professionals milling about the shops and restaurants in the Heights, and knew it was right on target for the brand.
The new modern-style building with glass store fronts on Yale Street in an affluent neighborhood near downtown fit the bill.
Radom Capital developed the multi-tenant building, which complements Heights Mercantile across the street. The Houstonbased company also developed Heights Mercantile, but no longer owns it.
“It was a no-brainer to pick the Heights location because it’s squarely rooted where our customers are,” Phillips said.
Sales from brick-and-mortar operations represent the smallest, but fastest-growing, segment of the business for Mizzen+Main, Phillips said. He declined to disclose revenue.
The company, which closed all its stores from mid-March until late May, received support from the government’s Payroll Protection Program loan program, Phillips said.
The temporary closures gave Mizzen+Main a chance to develop strategies for reopening, as well as new offerings, such as curbside delivery that could be integrated into future stores, Phillips said. It also worked on technology to help build personal connections with clients by sending texts and emails about products, similar to a personal shopper.
“We were able to take all of those learnings and bring them into the Houston opening,” Phillips said.
Mizzen+Main follows local safety guidelines at all its stores, incorporating mask-wearing, hand sanitizer and markers for social distancing.
The retail stores bring awareness to the brand, and once people try, they often buy.
“Our retail stores are just incredible footprints where guys can experience the brand firsthand,” Phillips said. “The conversion rates are extremely high.”