A Lifetime of Experience in Retail: CdM Exclusive Interview with the President of Ron Robinson Santa Monica

Merchandising! Merchandising! Merchandising!

On Thursday February, 9 I had the opportunity to head over to the Ron Robinson flagship store at the opening for this month's art installation titled "Love and Other things" 

 I was greeted by a group of friendly faces as I walked into the store and met Ron Robinson who is the President of Fred Segal on Melrose and two of his own stores: the flagship just off 3rd street promenade and another location on Melrose. He founded his own two stores after working for the famous L.A. retailer Fred Segal on Melrose and eventually taking over the store. The Santa Monica store doesn't look very big from the outside with one small window display facing the street but, after I got inside I realized it was much bigger than it seems! 

Robinson gave me a tour of the store himself after I told him I had never been before and, started off by excitedly telling me about the store's gallery initiative to feature different original art installations that represent the store's current theme. This month's was all about Valentine's Day of course and the artists were there as well to describe their art. 

Robinson also invites some select designers and brands to the store for these events so guests can get to know the new products that are being featured in the store. He started off by showing me their home section which had everything from decorative trinkets to full glassware sets. 

These desk plates were some of my favorites! 

Then we headed over to his beauty section where he introduced me to the designer for La Lumen which, she told me, means light in Latin. It is a new jewelry brand that focuses on magnetic jewelry and of course had some designs inspired by love for the holiday.

 He also showed me their custom fragrance collection. My favorite was this scent called Pearl 

which he excitedly told me that he had created himself. He described the perfume saying it was meant to represent sitting on the patio somewhere in Los Angeles relaxing and watching the sunset wearing a black t-shirt and a strand of pearls. The perfume, and the store definitely captured the old Hollywood feel he described. 

We then moved on to the Women's wear section where he showed me a new line of hats they had just introduced designed by the same woman who created Lady Gaga's signature pink hat. 

Collections like these with unique stories somehow tied to Los Angeles dotted the store giving the customer endless opportunities for discovery. 

Another brand that was featured in the store was Sugar t-shirts. They were launching their capsule collection exclusively for Ron Robinson which was also created around the Valentine's Day theme.You can read more about the brand in my article here.

We also passed by the accessories section which Robinson proudly told me was the only brick and mortar location to carry the new Hadid eyewear line designed by the Hadid sisters which was a big hit among guests at the party. 

Finally, we made it to the kids section which is separated from the store by a large space which Robinson plans to fill with a cafe called “Mind. Body. Fork.” 

The kids section is a fun bright space that is filled with a range of designers from major brands such as Stella McCartney to smaller brands that Robinson has found himself. As we ended our tour the store had begun to fill up and Robinson was busy greeting guests and friends. 

I also got the chance to talk with one of the sales reps in the store who told me that Robinson took a lot of care and time in choosing the products he showcased in the store and how to best display them. Merchandising is very important to this store and the carefully curated collections provide a seamless experience for the customer. 

The art gallery openings are not the only events the store holds either. They also hold free fitness classes hosted by different trainers from the LA area and I'm sure their new cafe will provide another venue for interesting community events. 

While the store is small and offers a limited selection of high priced products in each section it is still very popular and draws customers from all over the Los Angeles area as well as visitors from around the world. The local merchandising and clear theme of the store are appealing to shoppers and especially young customers because, while it may not provide the most budget friendly options it is always on trend and in tune with the local atmosphere. One reason for this could be that while younger customers have watched malls empty out in their neighborhoods they have become more and more interested in local boutiques that can provide a more focused experience for their tastes. Supporting local businesses has become a bigger trend recently and young customers especially enjoy finding fun and familiar places to hang out. I can't wait to see what is next from the fun boutique!