| Fashion News Minnesota |
High style, low overhead
Boutique-style websites based in the Twin Cities are giving fashion-forward shoppers a comfy place to shop around, even without a
dressing room.
By Lora Pabst, Star Tribune
Last update: December 7, 2007 - 5:52 PM
When customers in Los Angeles or New York buy a $300 cocktail dress from the website www.ShopToken.com, they most likely don't
know their purchase is being wrapped up in the land of Nordic sweaters and flannel -- and in the owner's childhood bedroom in her
parents' house, no less.
Several local clothing boutiques, such as Hot Mama and Covered, have recently taken their shops online. But at least one small fashion
retailer, www.ShopToken.com's Andrea Huspeni, sells online only.
Huspeni wanted to star a fashion website when she moved back to Minneapolis after working as a brand representative in California for
several years. In late 2005, the 26-year-old launched www.ShopToken.com by setting up shop in her parent's house in Apple Valley.
She thought an online boutique would make some high-end lines accessible to people who didn't live in a fashion capital. The site now
averages 200 visitors and 1,500 page views a day.
"When I started the website, I thought it would be for people in Minnesota," Huspeni said. "But the opposite has been true. I do get
Minnesota sales, but not nearly as much as from the East and West coasts."
Like other boutique owners, Huspeni scours the booths at clothing markets in Los Angeles and New York to pick out fashion-forward
lines such as Rebecca Taylor and Rozae Nichols Convertible.
But by running her business online, she is able to avoid the expenses of leasing a physical store and employing salespeople. Her
parents even help her with shipping and giftwrapping.
Www.ShopToken.com reaches fashionistas around the world. She said customers often find her site while searching online for a
specific brand.
Huspeni competes with massive fashion sites, such as www.shopbop.com and www.activeendeavors.com, where you can get lost in an
online warehouse of upscale clothing lines. But she thinks customers flock to her website because, like a small boutique, she focuses
on key brands and adds personal touches. She includes hand-written thank-you cards with each purchase.
"I try to keep it more like a boutique by not offering as many brands but doing deeper penetration into the brand," she said. "The
reason I do that is because sometimes when I go on bigger sites, I get overwhelmed by all the brands, and I even know about them."
The perk of pre-shopping
Websites offer boutiques a new way to interact with customers, even if they only live across town. For local owners, the Web can help
attract national interest as well. At Dinkytown's Covered, a denim boutique, owner Stacy Larson said premium-denim fans check her
website to see the latest deliveries of popular brands, such as Serfontaine and William Rast.
"The website lets people take a peek and see what we have in before they come down to the store," Larson said.
Megan Tamte, owner of Hot Mama, has expanded her company in the last three years from a single store in Edina to seven stores across
the Midwest. Earlier this year, Tamte added a website and found it's done more than bring in new business: With about 40 percent of
customers coming from outside her stores' home bases, she can better predict where a new actual store might find success.
The challenge for online-only retailers is finding a way to sell clothes that customers can't try on. Huspeni said she quit offering a lot
of jeans and pants styles for that very reason. She tries to answer e-mails as quickly as possible so customers can get information about
fit before they buy.
"If I was going to offer jeans, I'd have to bring back a popular, well-known jean," she said.
In the end, it's all about comfort.
"I try to make it the easiest possible shopping experience," Huspeni said.
5 culinary students moving to regional after winning Minnesota cook-off
Last update: December 10, 2007 - 10:58 AM
Five members of a Minneapolis junior culinary team took first place at a cook-off over the weekend and now move on to the regional
level in February.
The five students are from the Art Institutes International Minnesota of Minneapolis. They topped their competitors at the Le Cordon
Bleu Culinary College in Mendota Heights on Saturday.
Heading to the regional in Kansas City, Kan., are Louise Spiczka of Plymouth, Alex Konopacky of Plover, Wis., Ray Sauter of
Minneapolis, Kristen Nelson of Minneapolis, and Jennifer Snelson, of Andover.
The Art Institutes International Minnesota offers many degree programs. They include: advertising, culinary arts, fashion & retail
management, and web design and interactive media.
Contemporary fashion
By Carol Beggy and Mark Shanahan, Globe Staff | December 5, 2007
The cheers for Salvatore Ferragamo designer Massimiliano Giornetti just kept coming following a runway show for the famed Italian fashion house
at the Institute of Contemporary Art. Some 300 people attended the swanky soiree on Monday, which marked the ICA's first year in its new
home on the South Boston waterfront.
Clinton at Liberty
The presidential suite at Dick Friedman's new Liberty Hotel officially earned its name over the last couple of days by hosting former President Bill
Clinton, in town stumping for his wife's presidential bid. Among the 300 local Dems attending a $2,300-a-head event for Senator Hillary Clinton
was former Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev (who was staying at Friedman's other spot, the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square). While the
party got rolling downstairs at the Liberty, a select group of VIPs - mostly bigtime Dem supporters, not surprisingly - got a little face time with
the former president, including Mayor Tom Menino, Jim Apteker, Steve Grossman, Jack Manning, Bob Crowe, Elaine and Jerry Schuster, Stacey
Lucchino, Barbara Lee, and Bryan Rafanelli. After Clinton and his buddy Menino worked the bigger gathering, Clinton went back upstairs for a late-
night dinner with actors Morgan Freeman, Amanda Peet, William H. Macy, Ethan Hawke, and Mark Ruffalo, who are all in town filming movies.
A pitch from Young
Ageless wonder Neil Young is attracting all types to his three sold-out shows at the Orpheum this week. Monday's crowd included both Sox owner
John Henry and Celts CEO Wyc Grousbeck. Henry brought along a pair of ear plugs, which he planned to put in before's Young's electric set. Told
he'd need them if Young played the cacophonous "Cortez the Killer" - which he'd played Sunday - Henry smiled. Young told the crowd how much
he enjoys the Orpheum, but that he wished someone would step up and restore it. "Who is the richest person in here?" the singer asked. Several in
the audience shouted "John Henry!"
Scorsese in Medfield
Oscar-winner Martin Scorsese was spotted having lunch yesterday at the Noon Hill Grill, Steve Slesar's Medfield restaurant. No official word on
why "The Departed" director was in town, but crews have been scouting locations for his big-screen adaptation of Dennis Lehane's "Shutter
Island." The film is slated to star Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo.
New chapter for Orlean
Susan Orlean, author of the bestseller "The Orchid Thief," and her husband, financial wiz John Gillespie, sold their 3,000-square-foot loft at Fort
Point Place to Lev Glazman, cofounder of Fresh, the Boston-based beauty products company. The condo sold for $1.185 million, according to
records. Orlean and Gillespie decamped to Los Angeles where she's working on a book about Rin Tin Tin. They put their posh pad on the market
earlier this year for $1.5 million.
Macy buzzes around town
William H. Macy seems to be making himself quite at home in Boston. In town filming "The Lonely Maiden," the "Fargo" star - an avid
woodworker - took advantage of a break in his schedule to stop by the North Bennett Street School to visit school director Miguel Gomez-Ibanez
and some students. Macy later dropped in at the Union Oyster House, where he chatted with owner Joe Milano and signed the historic eatery's
famed autograph book.
Supermodel, super appetite
How does Izabel Goulart stay so svelte? By eating big piles of pasta, apparently. No sooner had the model arrived in town yesterday than she
ordered a heaping plate of pasta. "It's so freezing, I needed something warm and something heavy," said Goulart, who was at The Estate last night
to host a viewing of the "Victoria's Secret Fashion Show" on CBS. Discovered a few years ago while grocery shopping with her mother, Goulart
said there is no shortage of beautiful women. "The world is so huge," she said. "Amazing models are hiding out there just waiting to be discovered."
Our Minnesota wish list
OK, what's going on with all of the imports from Minnesota? It began, of course, with Big Papi, who'd toiled for the Minnesota Twins before
signing with the Sox. The trend continued with receiver Randy Moss, whom the Patriots brought on board because they remembered when he was
a thrill-a-minute with the Minnesota Vikings. The Celtics followed suit by trading virtually everyone on their roster for Kevin Garnett, the 6-foot-
11 future Hall of Famer who had been banging the boards for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Now, it's the Sox again who are casting their net in the
Land of 10,000 Lakes, looking to land Twins ace Johan Santana. Why stop there? Here are a few other momentous Minnesotans we wish would
move to Massachusetts.
Paul Westerberg: The Replacements’ frontman once wrote a song called "Nowhere is My Home," but he wouldn't need one here. The celebrated
songwriter could crash with one of his many friends here, like David Minehan or Juliana Hatfield.
Vince Vaughn: With so many movies being made here now, Jennifer Aniston's ex would fit right in. But Boston bars beware: While making a movie
in '01, the "Wedding Crashers" cad got into a bust-up with Steve Buscemi and was briefly jailed.
Prince: Berklee president Roger Brown would happily give the Purple One a lifetime appointment, and Prince could arrange with club owner
Patrick Lyons to perform occasional, unannounced shows at the new and improved Avalon.
Al Franken: Stuart Smalley should abandon his bid for the Senate seat occupied by Minnesota's Norm Coleman and move to liberal-loving
Cambridge, where he could hone his stump speech while waiting along with the rest of us for Ted Kennedy and John Kerry to retire.
Winona Ryder: The actress, who's named after the tiny Minnesota town where she was born, could come east and finally visit the boyhood home
of her former flame Matt Damon.
Nina's projects
The great Nina Garcia, fashion director for Elle magazine, was at Nordstrom at the Natick Collection yesterday to promote her book "Little Black
Book of Style." But we were more interested in Garcia's "Project Runway" gig. (On the Bravo show, she, Michael Kors, and supermodel Heidi
Klum judge the work of fledgling designers.) Garcia wouldn't name the finalists for us, but did say: "Just wait. There is a villain."
Cosmetology school moves to Woodbury
Special to the Bulletin
Woodbury Bulletin - 12/12/2007
Minnesota School of Cosmetology (MSC), a 50-year-old cosmetology school offering cutting-edge cosmetology and nail technology training, has
moved into a new space in Woodbury’s Valley Creek Mall, next to Warners’ Stellian.
The school was located in Oakdale for the past four years and moved to its current location in August 2007. The new space provides students with
improved facilities and equipment and a new learning environment.
“We’re very happy with our new location and all of the benefits we can provide our students,” said Jill Hocking, MSC campus director. “It’s a
beautiful space, and students and customers alike seem to really appreciate that. We’ve even been able to double our clientele since we’ve moved to
Woodbury.”
Minnesota School of Cosmetology offers diploma programs in cosmetology and nail technology that can be completed in a short length of time.
The nail technology program takes a minimum of 10 weeks, during which time students learn about manicuring techniques and procedures to
become certified nail technicians.
In ten months, students learn the art and science of beauty care, including clinical skills in hair design and shaping, hair coloring, shampooing and
conditioning, facials and makeup to become licensed cosmetologists.
Minnesota School of Cosmetology is open to the public and offers a full menu of cosmetology and nail services, as well as beauty products. All
work performed by students is under the supervision of licensed instructors.
The school is located at 1750 Weir Drive in Woodbury.
Minnesota School of Cosmetology Inc. was founded in September 2003 after Terry and Kaye Myhre acquired the Minnesota Cosmetology
Education Center, which was established in 1950. In 1988, new owners purchased the school and revamped the curriculum to focus on the salon
industry of the 1990s. Students learned cosmetology as well as sales training, communication, fashion and technical ability.
In 2003, the Myhres renamed the institution Minnesota School of Cosmetology and moved the facility from South St. Paul to a its Oakdale
location.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (651) 287-2180.
| Please Enjoy This Hot Fashion News! |
Fashion News! Fashion News!