Winter 2021 - 90

RETAILER PROFILE
He explained the difficulty of
attracting new customers at the One
Market Plaza location. Due to its
location in a corporate building, it
drew the same crowds every day.
" It was difficult to get fresh eyes
in the shop since most people there
were employees of the building, "
said Lafrenz.
Since the shuttering of his brickand-mortar
shops, Lafrenz has seen
his customer base shift. Men currently
represent the lion's share of online
sales. They're purchasing items that
relate to the outdoors lifestyle.
" Men don't have to go to the office so
they're buying hats, which are easy to
buy online, " said Lafrenz. Since people
are home, candles are performing
along with bar-related items. Other
The San Anselmo (top)
and Westfield (left)
locations provided clean,
modern and uncluttered
shopping that customers
enjoyed. Photos courtesy
of Utility Goods.
After absorbing that hit, the COVID-19 pandemic swept
the nation. " We temporarily closed One Market Plaza
a few days before San Francisco shut down the city on
March 15, 2020, " said Lafrenz. In July, 2020, this location
permanently closed.
Beyond the San Anselmo and One Market Plaza
locations, Utility Goods also debuted a mall location at
Westfield San Francisco Centre. Despite the mall setting,
which opened in 2018, Utility Goods remained true to its
vision of offering novelty items of high quality.
" People loved our mall shop. Customers told us they
didn't expect to find the types of merchandise we offered
in a mall, " said Lafrenz. Although the shop performed well
its first holiday season, the mall's customer base began
to shift and the business suddenly took a downturn. The
lease ended in January 2020 and Lafrenz suffered a huge
financial loss.
LESSONS LEARNED
At one point Utility Goods employed 15 individuals at
its locations, but due to several changes and a pandemic,
only the online business remains (at press time). However,
many lessons were learned along the way.
" There's always a silver lining. Online sales are going
well and shopping via the web is up across-the-board.
Some of our makers are crushing it, " revealed Lafrenz.
90 WINTER 2021 GIFT SHOP® PLUS
star sellers include Hella Slingshots; Blackwing pencils;
Word notebooks; chocolate from Compartes; canvas and
wax products from Bradley Mountain; and leather goods
from Ezra Arthur and Leather Works Minnesota.
SOURCING THE COLLECTION...
Curating the wares tends to happen rather organically.
Rather than snapping up goods at trade shows, Lafrenz
uncovers new makers through word-of-mouth within
the community. An active Instagram user, his wife also
alerts him to novelty items she discovers while scrolling
her feed.
When asked what else inspires his vision, Lafrenz
reflected on his environmentally-conscious mindset. " If
you're buying an item that is built to last for 40 years, it
has less of a chance of ending up in the landfill, " he said.
Niche items include double-edge safety razors from
Rockwell; solid cologne from Fulton & Roark; and wooden
airplanes by Tait Design Co. In a nod to the past, vintage
items include San Francisco seals hats and 1970's surf
prints from Doug Walker-a filmmaker who uncovered a
stash of surf photos at a California flea market.
From launching AXL Brand to opening the shops and
online business, Lafrenz certainly learned by trial-anderror.
Prior to opening new locations, he advises retailers
to learn as much as they can about their customer base,
speak with other retailers in the area, and do their due
diligence.
" When you open a store, you have a vision, but
sometimes you discover that the things you love won't sell
and the items that you don't love will sell, so you must be
flexible. You can still maintain your aesthetic and remain
true to your vision, but ultimately you're there for your
customer, " concluded Lafrenz.
Learn more about our Gift Shop® Plus contributors on page 10.
Winter 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Winter 2021
