The liquidation sale happening at Nolita is on through
Friday, July 31, but a visit to the store last week already found its
racks heavily depleted, picked over by wolfish shoppers hunting for
deals on separates, jewelry, and of course, denim. For years Nolita has
been ground zero for jeans in Portland, with a huge selection of styles
for both men and women. Invariably, it seemed, they were all over the
latest designer lines that were getting buzz—if you read about it
in a magazine, chances were they already had it in stock. The “denim
bar” was complemented by a no-nonsense selection of tops, sweaters, and
jackets. They didn’t fool around too much with color, knowing their
customers would invariably go for the blacks and grays that would go
with anything, like the jeans they were paired with.
Nolita as we have known it in Portland was heavily influenced by
Katy Kippen, who opened and ran the Portland location after having
worked at the original Nolita in Missoula, Montana, under the owner,
Margit Meriwether. Kippen took real enjoyment in the work, and
carefully studied the customers in order to tailor her orders to their
preferences. Now, after about seven years, Kippen is leaving the store,
which is going through transitions of its own.
The diminishing racks at Nolita aren’t—happily—heralding
that the store is going out of business. The lease is up in August, and
after unsuccessful renegotiations with the landlord, it was decided
that Nolita would move to a new location (as yet to be determined). But
the fact that Kippen won’t be moving with it does mean that it will
never be the same.
Though the store may be solvent, Kippen is frank about the current
chaos in the retail industry that has been wrought by the economic
events of the past year. She points out that few people think of the
impact on stores beyond the cash register, but boutiques are being hit
from both the customer and manufacturing ends. Obviously customers are
being more persistent in limiting their purchases and waiting for
sales. In addition, behind-the-scenes suppliers and lines are being
bought “like crazy” by corporations. (I felt a tiny stab into my heart
when Kippen listed Mike & Chris, a favorite of mine and Nolita’s,
as one such company that is now “all corporate.”) Production is being
delayed or canceled due to a lack of orders, and shipments of goods are
more frequently showing up late or end up being of poor quality. On top
of that, changing lending practices are upending the way most stores
operate, forcing them to pay up front for goods rather than selling
them in order to pay, which is “how it’s operated for years,” she
says.
It seemed a good time, then, to look at other options. Kippen’s been
making jewelry since high school, when her line (hilariously called
“Katy Duds”) was popular among schoolmates. Her most current work takes
the name Grayling (graylingjewelry.com), which she
explains is partly named after her love of the color gray, partly
because she thinks of the citizens of this gray city as “graylings,”
and partly in tribute to the fish of the same name. Her work is already
selling briskly at Relish (1715 NW Lovejoy) and is on the brand-new
online store pdxboutique.com,
founded by WeMa apparel designer Wendi Martin. She plans to use her
knowledge of what boutiques look for to angle toward 10-15 more
wholesale accounts in the next year and in a major coup, is moving into
the studio of longtime under-the-radar Portland jeweler John Rink,
giving her access to advanced machinery that she otherwise would have
had to pay immensely. Kippen has also begun consulting with retail
stores on their marketing, and may even pursue work as a personal
shopper (with a specialty in fitting denim, naturally).
As Meriwether shops for Nolita’s new Portland home, we’ll have to
wait to see how the store’s new direction plays out. In the meantime,
you might want to stock up on those jeans while you can. (Nolita
moving sale, 923 NW 10th, through Fri July 31)