New To Me

[JGalanos]

http://www.ambiencefursinc.com/index.htm

 

A few very nice pics ...

[JGalanos]

http://furboutiquedenver.com/

 

And another ...

[FurLoverinFL]

I got so excited to see that there was another fur store in Denver. I get to Overland's downtown location at least once a year - but they tend to have far more sheepskin and leather products as opposed to fur coats. Fur Boutique Denver looks like it's out in the suburbs - I never have the time to get there.

 

FLinFL

[JGalanos]

I got so excited to see that there was another fur store in Denver.

 

I totally understand that. One of the furriers I visited this past weekend had been on my radar for a couple years but the salon is out in one of the burbs I don't frequent. Was in the general area Saturday, so decided to stop by. Pleasantly surprised by the level of service, quality of garments, and especially that all the furs in the store were sewn right there in the salon's workroom. You rarely see that any more ... Even in the Fur District ... Which is a shame.

[AKcoyote]

Pleasantly surprised ..... and especially that all the furs in the store were sewn right there in the salon's workroom. You rarely see that any more ... Even in the Fur District ... Which is a shame.

That is because it is much cheaper to buy furs made in Aisa than to make them in the US. And as many customers are very price conscious, a merchant (fur store) has to keep costs down or go bankrupt.

[JGalanos]

That is because it is much cheaper to buy furs made in Aisa than to make them in the US. And as many customers are very price conscious, a merchant (fur store) has to keep costs down or go bankrupt.

 

I understand selling cheap Asian furs at cheap prices meets the needs of a certain segment of the marketplace, AK. But in terms of "quality" furs, I have had 5 full length custom furs made for me and I have paid less for these custom garments (with special features like unusually wide sweeps, oversized collars, turnback cuffs, extra coat length, extra sleeve length, top quality pelts, etc.) than what I've seen furriers selling imported furs call "sale" prices. As mentioned previously, I find the all-too-common practice of purchasing (relatively cheap) furs from Asia and placing a list price on them comparable to what you might expect to find on a fine North American produced garment and then offering "incredible discounts" of 50% or more ridiculous (50% off something marked up 400% or more is still over-priced in my book). If I can obtain extraordinary "Made in USA" furs at ordinary prices, others should be able to do so as well.

[White Fox]

Part of this is probably the "Made in the store" thing.

 

Think of it this way. Every step that garment takes along the way is AT LEAST a 100% markup. But remember, many stores do not have an in house furrier to make coats. So, they buy Asian. Imagine a coat coming out of Asia at $1000 delivered. It is delivered to a central buyer of some sort. That buyer then will sell it to the store for $2,000. Then, the store will well it for $4,000. Now then, if that store has an in store furrier they probably cannot come even remotely close to making it for $1,000. But, they can for $2,000. In other words if the store truly has an in store furrier they MIGHT be able to compete. But, if they attempt to buy that coat from another Furrier or in say Montreal they cannot compete as the price is doubled one time in there.

 

We've got a lot of men here. Here is an example. Know how you buy a cordless drill from Sears say, and the battery goes bad. You go to buy a new one and you find the price is huge. Virtually no companies handle parts for the products today. The parts company is a different company totally from the retail one. Say, the store buys a battery as a part from the manufacturer for $10 and sells it to the parts company for $20. The parts company then doubles that and sells it to you for $40. (Actually the profit margin in electrical would be way, way more than that even.) So, when you price the two batteries for your drill they are $80 for two batteries. And you can buy a new drill for $75 for instance. If that company handled their own parts, then those two batteries would cost you $40 total.

 

Anyhow, back to the furs. Indeed I would buy made in North America way before I would buy off shore, but are off shore coats even marked as such. I am trying to remember if I've ever saw a place in a fur coat saying "Made in Canada" for instance. Don't think I have. Interesting thought. But maybe I just never noticed it.

 

W

[Guest]

Any chain that involves a "manufacturer", wholesaler, shipper, distributor THEN a retailer it's going to be many times the original cost to make it.

 

When you go to a furrier you are paying the cost of the pelts, his labor cost and usually a modest mark up.

 

If you are a smart and diligent furrier you will get bargains on pelts as you come across them and have developed a list of sources for pelts where he is often getting them directly from the trapper.

 

OFF

[AKcoyote]

While I agree with JG's quality argument, OFF's argument on multiple markups is not necessarily true in many cases with Asian manufactured fur garments. The cost of labor differential between Asian fur manufacturers and US furriers makes "Made in the USA" more expensive than importing in almost all cases.

 

Also except in a very few areas where there are sufficient fur wearers who appreciate quality and local craftsmanship, it is impossible for furriers to survive by manufacturing their own garments. Those few US furriers who have survived the past 20 years have for the most part been forced to buy imported fur garments to survive.

[samurman]

Very important points made throughout the thread. It all comes down to different business plans and models, but in order for the furrier model to work, what you need is a steady supply of customers to keep the inhouse furrier busy. If you lose customers to the point that for several days no one shows up, then a one-off splurge in the form of JGalanos comes up, it is not a sustainable business model, and many furriers will go out of business. Indeed this is what happened.

 

Now, here is an idea that mixes the price efficiency of the Asian model with the quality of western furriership. As you all know, Savile Row has traditionally been the centre of high quality tailoring in London, but their prices are very very high. So I have seen some tailors advertising in the UK newspapers. They are very experienced tailors but they have expanded their business. Throughout the month, they regularly come to the UK, visit various cities and stay at well known hotels. You book an appointment and the master tailor takes your measurements. Then, the detailed work is carried out by their apprentices who are located in Singapore or India. The finished product is then shipped to the UK and the master tailor presents it to you. Of course, there is full customer satisfaction guarantee etc. In the end, you have, say, a custom made %100 cashmere suit or coat that is %50 cheaper than what you would get at a Savile Row tailor, but at the same quality.

 

I suppose a "traveling furrier" concept could well apply to the US. Say, from October 1st to the 3rd, he would be in New York, then the next two days in Philadelphia, afterwards in Washington DC, Miami, then in Boston, and returning to New York again. He would take your measurements, would be in close contact with you and those actually working on the fur coat in China, and he would deliver your coat in, say, two weeks to your exacting specifications.

 

Such an arrangement would also suit the local fur salons. This way, they would be able to offer their customers a higher quality service at an affordable price.

[JGalanos]

then a one-off splurge in the form of JGalanos comes up

 

Wasn't sure whether to laugh or blush, you rascal!

 

I suppose it does sound extravagant, until you factor in it was 5 custom furs over a 10 year period. That sounds more reasonble (especially if you discount the fact that fewer than 5 of every 100 gentlemen will purchase even one custom fur over their lifetimes!).

[samurman]

Wasn't sure whether to laugh or blush, you rascal!

 

I suppose it does sound extravagant, until you factor in it was 5 custom furs over a 10 year period. That sounds more reasonble (especially if you discount the fact that fewer than 5 of every 100 gentlemen will purchase even one custom fur over their lifetimes!).

 

Well, JG, if I managed to brighten your day for a minute, then it's a pleasure for me.

 

For the past two years, I have been visiting my furrier around these days and asking him to remodel fur coats to fit for me. I am sure he is eagerly waiting for me to come up with another interesting "project" for him. Since fur wearing men are so rare, I am sure you must have made an impression on the furriers regardless of the frequency of your orders...

[FurLoverinFL]

Just returned from my furrier after picking up my better coats. He's still doing a steady business in the St. Petersburg/Tampa FL area. Before you think of Florida as a hot-bed of fur lovers, there are a large number of people from the mid-west and eastern US who moved here. Florida Fur & Leather is one of the very few furriers on the west coast. Virtually all his profits are derived from storage, cleaning and repairs. Whenever he actually sells a fur, it's a bonus. After looking through his inventory today, the vast majority of the furs were made in Asia. He just doesn't have any demand to make a fur on his own these days.

 

FLinFL

[JGalanos]

He just doesn't have any demand to make a fur on his own these days.

 

Interesting. After designing 5 furs, I think an "off the rack" fur would have to be purt durn awesome and/or significantly discounted to entice me.