Apparently, the predictions that our collective online shopping habits would soon render brick and mortar retail outlets obsolete were a bit premature.
"Today's traditional customer is evolving," says L.L.Bean senior public relations representative Mac McKeever. Just a few years ago that sort of statement implied people wanted to shop more and more online. McKeever notes that L.L.Bean's customers want just the opposite: to get closer to the merchandise before they buy. Hence, the 103-year-old catalog company is expanding into the physical retail market with an ambitious plan to have 100 stores across the country by 2020. Last week, L.L.Bean kicked off that campaign with the announcement of a new store slated to open later this year in Legacy Village in Lyndhurst.
"This is the first store we announced since we announced the expansion," says McKeever of what will also be the company's first Ohio location.
L.L.Bean chose Northeast Ohio for a number of reasons. Although McKeever would not disclose specifics, it seems we're pretty reliable customers for the company. Having an array of outdoor recreational resources as well as a population that regularly engages in them were significant factors as well.
"While it is a more urban setting, there's several places in that area where we're going to be offering outdoor programming," said McKeever, noting area parks and waterways.
The programming will be part of the L.L.Bean Outdoor Discovery School, which will feature free in-store clinics and on-site classes. While the Northeast Ohio line-up won't be available for months, a $79 sea kayaking class at Nockamixon State Park sponsored by the company's Center Valley, Pennsylvania store sold out months in advance, as did a $190 junior Olympic archery course at the Freeport, Maine location. Free in-store fly fishing clinics regularly fill up. Kids and teen camps, wildlife tours, first aid clinics, snowshoe adventures, biking tours and an array of overnight and fishing outings round out the myriad Discovery School offerings.
"We know it's going to be a great home for us," says McKeever of the new 16,000-square-foot Legacy Village location, which will be built to LEED certified standards and will employ 100. The space currently houses clothier Talbots, which will relocate within Legacy Village.
While the build-out will be happening here in our backyard, it's tightly tethered to the great state of Maine.
"Maine is part of our history, part of our heritage. It's part of our DNA," says McKeever, adding that the company's retail facilities reflect that legacy. "We're kind of bringing a little bit of Maine to Ohio."
The grand opening is scheduled for November. McKeever promises an event to remember, noting that inaugural L.L.Bean events include giveaways, demonstrations, a possible Bootmobile sighting (think part operational pick-up truck, part boot that would fit a 143-foot-tall human) and family-friendly activities. Attendees often queue up before dawn and number in the hundreds.
"We throw a heck of a party."