Retail

Chanel Corporate Office

Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel was an orphan who learned all about sewing and dressmaking from the nuns at the orphanage where she lived. When she was 18, she opened a hat-making shop on the ground floor of the Parisian flat of the textile businessman Etienne Balsan. Because the Balsan flat also was a salon for the French hunting and sporting élite, Chanel had the opportunity to meet many mistresses and wives, who became fans of her hats and, soon afterward, her dresses.

At a time when corsets and large feathered hats were still in style, Chanel was unique in that she was more interested in comfort than style. She instantly did become a fashion icon, as women everywhere began ditching their corsets and wearing “the little black dress” and the Chanel suit dress.

The color black was only worn by widows or those in mourning until Chanel introduced it as an acceptable fashion statement with “the little black dress. Chanel is also known for using jersey cloth, which was commonly used for men’s underwear.

In 1921, Chanel asked a perfume maker to create a new fragrance to match her clothing. This perfume, which she named Chanel #5, is now the best-known perfume name in the world. The #5 name came simply from the perfume batch that Chanel liked best. While Chanel stores in Europe had to close during WWII, Chanel herself was allowed by the Nazi regime to continue making her perfume. After the war, she decided to retire to Switzerland.

Chanel grew bored with retirement, however, and returned to France, to find the world was enamored with a new designer, Christian Dior. Determined to get back into the business, Chanel created new suits, a line of jewelry, and what would become the infamous handbag design with the double C embossed into the leather.

Coco Chanel passed away in 1971, but her infamous stores and products continue on. The company has more than 300 stores located around the world and an untold number of upscale stores carry her designer items.

In 2016, the company had an estimated annual revenue of $5.2 billion. The corporate office for Chanel in the USA is located in New York, New York.

Club Monaco Corporate Office

Club Monaco has it’s beginnings in Ontario, Canada. Business partners Joe Mimran, Saul Mimran and Alfred Sung opened their first store on Queen Street West in 1985. That location is still in existence today. There is a cafe below the sales floor, allowing customers to take a coffee break while shopping, which was a unique idea at the time.

The company’s first store in the USA was opened in 1989 in the beach town of Santa Monica, California, where it quickly became popular. In 1999, Ralph Lauren acquired the company, where it still operates as a subsidiary.

Club Monaco has transitioned itself into an international lifestyle brand that offers what it calls “affordable luxury with a modern sensibility. Each location has its own concept, as well as clothing style and design. In addition to their own brand of clothing, the company carries upscale, third-party accessories, such as Ray-Ban sunglasses, Mackage Leather, and Citizen of Humanity brand jeans. Other upscale clothing items include Chanel and Hermes. Since 2007, Luxottica began selling sunglasses and prescription sunglasses through the Club Monaco brand.

Beginning in August of 2013, the company launched their first footwear line consisting of all leather flats and heels made in Italy. Later that same month, the company also introduced a higher-end label simply titled ‘Collection’.

The company relies heavily on social media accounts for marketing, using sites such as Pinterest, Facebook, and Tumblr to present its “lookbooks” or “inspirations” which can also be viewed on their website through their “Culture Club” page.

Headquarters are located in the Starrett-Lehigh building in New York, New York.

Boyds Philadelphia Corporate Office

Boyds Philadelphia was founded in 1938 by the Gushner brothers, whose father was a Russian immigrant whose corner business sold magazines, newspapers, and men’s dress shirts. His sons opened a small men’s wear store in Center City.

Today, Boyds no longer sells newspapers or cigars, but they do still offer men’s clothing. The company has expanded to include women’s clothing, hand tailored and customized clothing, as well as shoes and accessories, such as wallets, men’s and women’s fragrances, outerwear, and purses. In 2008, the company received the “Store of the Year” award from MR Magazine.

The company is still operated by the Gushner brothers, now the 4th generation to do so. The store and headquarters remain where they have been since 1990, on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia. The store is undergoing major remodeling and is a late comer to the world of eCommerce, where they opened their on line site in 2017.

Banana Republic Corporate Office

Banana Republic was founded by Mel and Patricia Ziegler, a pair of world travelers known for collecting clothing items that were unique. The couple opened their first store in Mill Valley, California.

Today, the company operates as a subsidiary of Gap, Inc. Currently, there are 642 locations around the US, Canada, and other countries, including Japan and Malaysia. While the company was founded in unique items, today it is more focused on luxury brands. In October of 2017, one manager was fired after telling an African American employee that her box braids were not “Banana Republic Material”.

The company announced in September of 2017 that they would be closing stores that were under performing, while refusing to disclose which store locations would be affected.

In April 2021, Memphis native Prep Curry was hired by Banana Republic as its newest design partner.

Headquarters for Banana Republic are located in San Francisco, California.

Tomah Cash Store Corporate Office

Tomah Cash Mercantile Company, more commonly known today as the Tomah Cash Store, was founded by Herman Rose in 1900. It was the first large store to be built in Tomah. The name came from the store’s original design to pay cash for farmer’s crops, rather than exchanging it for merchandise.

The company continues to operate, but no longer offers cash for crops. This modern day department store is constantly changing its merchandise to keep up with people’s needs and technology. The store stopped selling fabric in the early 1990’s because women were not sewing their own clothing, but they added more electronics. The company also stopped selling groceries in the early 2000’s, but now offer higher end lingerie and clothing.

Tomah Cash Store is operated by the great grandson’s of Herman Rose; Mark and John Rose, along with their wives and other family members. Company headquarters have not moved in 117 years; still located on Superior Avenue in Tomah, Wisconsin.