|
|
 |
|
|
Young ideas fuel new ventures by liking liking
|
|
|
Young ideas fuel new ventures |
|
|
|
|
|
Writing
|
|
|
Walking in to Zape, which opened in Newton Upper Falls in March, you might at first get the feeling that you’ve simultaneously raided the closets of a college-age boy, his teenage father, and their mischievous youngest sibling. You’re greeted with Red Bull flat-brim hats and T-shirts with snarky messages; snug tie-dyed tank tops, stretchy denims, and flip-flops; remote-controlled whoopee cushions and (harmless) potato guns. Oh, and beer pong kits. Yet the clothing is meticulously folded and all the merchandise neatly arranged — hinting at a parental presence.It might not be a shock, then, that the forces behind the store are a 13-year-old boy and his entrepreneurial dad. Zach Rosenberg, who will be going in to eighth grade at Buckingham Browne & Nichols in Cambridge in the fall, selected the décor, much of the merchandise, and the name, the meaning of which they says is a secret between him and his sister, David. Zach, who lives along with his sister in Brookline and his father in Newton, says the idea for the store evolved from the drawings for ed hardy shop they started making two years ago (custom tees are a large part of the store’s business) and his visits to streetwear stores in Boston. “I thought, they ought to do something like this,’’ Zach says. After a space opened up in a building that the elder Rosenberg owns (the building also houses the Biltmore Bar & Grille, which they co-owns), the two embarked on an ambitious father-son project — ambitious since neither had any earlier retail experience. (David has long worked in actual estate and is chief executive of Sawyer Real estate Holdings, a actual estate investment and management company.) Zach and David hit closing sales, flea markets, and off-price shows. They stayed up late in to the night tracking down novelties online from wholesale companies. (Fast lesson: Ought to you ever have an interest in purchasing a bunch of whoopee cushions, look for the manufacturer on the packaging of those you find in stores that carryover them.) They collected Ed Hardy footwear and Von Dutch shirts along with vintage wall plaques and lava lamps, the last item a nod to the older Rosenberg’s hippie-esque sensibilities. “It’s a perception of whatever you think sells,’’ David Rosenberg says of the merchandise. “Through Facebook and [Zach’s] friends . . . you try to get vibes of what sells and what doesn’t.’’ Lots of the stock — for example, the Sugarlips tank tops that sell for $15-$21 — will no doubt be more recognizable to the more youthful set, who tend to visit after school and on the weekends. Zach’s more youthful father Molly picks out the shop’s jewelry, which includes chunky glass rings ($5) and beaded rings ( 20 cents). The store also recently started selling the popular Daft Bandz for $2 per 12-pack. The low prices mean that babies can buy things with their own funds, Zach says. “You can walk in and even in case you have a couple of dollars, you can buy something,’’ they says. “If you require to return to a store with a parent [because you don’t have money], that’s no fun.’’ A general manager, Dave Goldstein, handles the store’s day-to-day operations and has hired a small staff. Zach, who put in 10-15 hours a week in the work of the school year and recently headed off to summer camp, expects to work at least two days a week after they returns in mid-August. The store is meant in part to be educational, David Rosenberg acknowledges; Zach has learned to merchandise, market, and brainstorm new product ideas as part of his duties. And they seems already to have picked up an important small bit of retail wisdom. “It’s not about what I am liking. It’s about what the individuals who come in to the store require,’’ Zach says of choosing products. “When I walk in to a store, I don’t require to see what the owner of the store likes. I require to see the interests of the people going in there. . . . And as they keep going, we’re figuring it out.’’
Related Articles -
ed, hardy, shop,
|
Rate This Article  |
|
|
|
|
|
Do you Agree or Disagree? Have a Comment? POST IT!
| Reader Opinions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Author Login |
|
|
 |
Advertiser Login
ADVERTISE HERE NOW!
Limited Time $60 Offer!
90 Days-1.5 Million Views
|
|
TIM FAY
After 60-plus years of living, I am just trying to pass down some of the information that I have lea...more
|
|
|
|
|
LAURA JEEVES
At LeadGenerators, we specialise in content-led Online Marketing Strategies for our clients in the t...more
|
|
|
|
|
ALEX BELSEY
I am the editor of QUAY Magazine, a B2B publication based in the South West of the UK. I am also the...more
|
|
|
|
|
GENE MYERS
Author of four books and two screenplays; frequent magazine contributor. I have four other books "in...more
|
|
|
|
|
SUSAN FRIESEN
Located in the lower mainland of B.C., Susan Friesen is a visionary brand strategist, entrepreneur, ...more
|
|
|
|
|
STEPHEN BYE
Steve Bye is currently a fiction writer, who published his first novel, ‘Looking Forward Through the...more
|
|
|
|
|
SHALINI MITTAL
A postgraduate in Fashion Technology. Shalini is a writer at heart! Writing for her is an expression...more
|
|
|
|
|
ADRIAN JOELE
I have been involved in nutrition and weight management for over 12 years and I like to share my kn...more
|
|
|
|
|
JAMES KENNY
James is a Research Enthusiast that focuses on the understanding of how things work and can be impro...more
|
|
|
|
