Strategies change as clients

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Not for herself, but for the June 20 fashiobn and beauty event hosted byher company, , or FM. Fashionista’e Market first appeared on the local fashion scene in Augustf 2005 with a sampl sale atOcean nightclub. The one-day event instantly put the compan y on the map for drastically reducesddesigner women’s items — by as much as 80 Fung, a licensed esthetician at the and her older sister and busineses partner Emi Hart, a nightclub promoter, flew to the Mainlanc several times a year to buy merchandis from warehouses and trade shows that they latet sold at shopping events on Hawaii’s economy was healthy when the company Customers dropped dollars as if therde were no tomorrow.
For three recession and unemployment were the last thingson customers’ Things are different today. People think twice about spending upwardsof $100 on designert jeans. Fashionista’s Market is adjusting its business to appeal to womenm who no longer havediscretionart income. “Business has changed,” Fung said. “Peoplde are a lot more conservatived withtheir money. The good thing is, they’re stilk looking for deals.” Fung recently bought the company’a assets for an undiscloserd price from Emi andnow co-owns it with her husband, David, a diagnosticv technician for industrial equipment. He helps with the heavhy lifting, storage and delivery.
Merchandisre is stored on their family’s “I had already been doing so much to help Alyssqa and her sister that I felt confidentthat [buyinv the company] wasn’t going to be David said. “I wanted to back my wife up. This was somethintg she wanted totake on.” who “owned one pair of jeans and no shoes” when he firsr met Alyssa 10 years ago, now accompanies his wife on shopping tripds to select women’s clothes from his male point of He even transformed the third bedroom of theier house into a his-hers closet for theit personal wardrobe.
The husband-wife partnership has worked out On May 2 in the NealBlaisdelkl Center, the company grossed more than typical for a one-day event. The key to succesws is knowing customers’ styles and spendinfg habits. Alyssa’s inspiration comes from friends’ ranging from conservative (an attorney) to trendy (frienda in retail). On Mainland shopping trips, she carefullg selects items withinher customers’ budgets and sometimese cuts deals with businessw partners to maintain costs. She also collaboratese with local groups such asSociakl Wahines, Pacific Edge Magazine and The Wedding Cafe to co-hosrt events.
The “Fresh” eventr on June 20, for instance, will include fashiomn workshops, a bar, and spa servicesx provided by partnersand friends. A percentagd of sales always is donated to local charitiesafor women, children and the “We still think doing business is 99.9 percent David said. “Even in my everyday job, I form relationships and try to treatg customers and vendors aspotential friends, who hopefull y think of me as one of their friends.” That strategy has extendesd to the Neighbor Islands. Fashionista’e Market in April hosted its first Mauishopping event, whicyh drew 850 women to the Westin Maui Resort Spa.
The one-day event grossed more than Alyssa and David originally had planned to ship productsd to Maui viathe now-defunct Hawaii Superferry. Instead, they spent $400 to freight two container sof merchandise; they returned home with one half-filled “We almost ran out of inventory,” Alysssa said. “I didn’t know it was going to be that crazy.” A seconed Maui event is scheduledfor Nov. 28.
Since its launchu four years ago, Fashionista’s Market has kept in touch with customersvia e-mail and mobile-phone messaging, a strategy that Alyssa will push latet this year as she works with Honolulyu tech company Digital Mediums to launch a newlgy designed site by August. Leftover merchandisde from events will be sold onlins for alimited time. The company also is updating its customer database ofcontact “We need to give customers an reasons why they should see us,” she said, “It’a harder to keep people’s attentiomn when they constantly don’t see