November has been an exciting month for the L.L. Bean team here at Arrowstreet. Over the past three weeks, we have had grand openings at three new L.L. Bean retail stores across the country.
At the Minneapolis opening at the Mall of America, I had the opportunity to meet Seth Wescot. Seth is a really cool guy who is helping L.L. Bean grow their younger customer base by testing a product line called “Traverse,” which is designed for serious outdoor sporting conditions. Who is Seth Wescot and what credentials does he have in this area? How about winning two Olympic gold medals in Snowboard Cross? I had a great time talking with Seth at the opening—he has New England roots and a lot of interesting stories to share about boarding and his experiences.
Next up was the grand opening in Burlington, Vermont. You may have heard about an incident in Burlington Town Center during the opening—an owl and a hawk brought in for the event got into a bit of a confrontation. Apparently the birds have known each other for years and nobody really knows what provoked the owl to attack his friend. I guess there is no such thing as bad press though, and the sales at the Burlington store are through the roof. Interestingly, this wasn’t the owl’s first experience as the bad guy. He also played Draco Malfoy’s owl in the Harry Potter movies.
Finally, the Denver store just had its opening this week and the store looks fantastic. I thank the whole L.L. Bean team of Matt Byrnes-Jacobsen, Tony Filardo, Lee Morrissette, Liz Sinclair, Victoria Wright, and Resa Gray for a job well done and can’t wait to show everyone the results when the professional photos come in. Happy winter sporting, everyone!
Topics: Retail