How did
the opening of the new store come about?
We reopened our
store on Bold Street Liverpool opposite SIZE? on May 1st this year (2015). It
all came about a bit sudden, I was in between careers after importing from the
Far East for years and was looking for something new to do. Around this time a
lad I know was organising the first Laces Out trainer festival in Liverpool and
as I still had a bit of old stock from the old shop in the attic decided to have
a clear out.
I couldn't
believe the response, I walked away that day with a few quid in my pocket and
the seed was sewn, I started picking up bits and pieces for the next festival 6
months away and Lo and Behold had another blinding day, I thought fuck it I'm
gonna launch the website again and started picking up more bits, mainly pre
worn, mentioned it to a few people who told me how much they missed the shop
and were sick of what the high street had to offer and the seed got bigger.
An opportunity
came along that premises opposite SIZE were available and I couldn't let it
pass me by, dipped into my life savings and took the plunge. I felt it was a
big gamble but on the first day we opened there was a queue outside the shop
and the takings that day equalled the best ever day in the old Transalpino
which closed in 2010.
You've
already got hold of some pretty big exclusives (SL Loop etc) - how important is
it that you continue to find and introduce styles like this to the UK market?
Hugely
important, that's what we're all about to offer something that isn’t on the
high street, many people comment on similarities to the old Wade Smith shop and
I find that flattering as that's probably our benchmark.
He was bringing
back stock from Europe in the early days which was the foundation of his
success, I suppose we're the modern day equivalent and we're actually only a
100 yards away from his original store.
Of course this
is the internet age and people can search for their 'grails' from the comfort
of their living room which some may think makes our job tougher - and of course
it does, but I enjoy the challenge.
A new line of
clothing is also taking shape - is this going to be a permanent addition to the
store as well as the trainers?
The clothing was
also always going to be revived as we had a steady following with our tees in
the original store. This time round we like to extend our offer beyond just
tees with sweats and ski hats already on order but we won't rush as we want the
brand to grow organically with the needs of our customers.
What
are your current favourite trainers in the store?
Well we sell OG,
Pre worn Issues and new stock, personal favourites change from time to time and
I'm sure some people love a certain trainer but wouldn’t wear it themselves,
currently out of the new stock the SL Loop wins hands down, I purchased my first
pair off myself three months ago and then kept another two pairs, I haven't
worn another pair of adidas since, like walking on air when their on your feet,
by far the most comfortable shoe I've ever worn. Getting back to the other
stock, as I write this in the shops I'm looking across at Columbia, Dublin,
Koln, Bern and FH82s all of which are beauties in their own right.
It's
only early days since the new store opened but what has been the most sought
after trainer so far?
As above (SL
Loop) by far but it seems to be a North West thing. The sought after list is
endless, always getting ask for Columbia, City Series etc. but if I had a pound
for the amount of times I've heard 'Got adidas Kick? They were my first trabs'
I wouldn’t have to sell trabs for a living. Our customer base is diverse from
age 12 to 65 and a lot of the customers are none footy lads as well. Everyone’s
got their personal favourites that remind them of a holiday or a bird or just
reminds them of good times.
Has
the market changed since the old shop?
Definitely! It’s
a more diverse customer base as I said earlier, we have female trainer sniffers
now which I didn’t notice the last time round and as we now sell pre worn which
we didn’t last time we are able to offer a bigger variety and at times the
vintage section looks like a museum for trainers. Furthermore, there's trainer
festivals popping up like Sole Bloc in Glasgow and Laces Out in Liverpool which
gives us a chance to reach out to prospective customers.
My buying habits
have changed enormously as well, we have lads coming in selling their
collections for various reasons, maybe they've met a bird and/or buying a house
or having a kid and it’s time to let go, I've had other lads coming in and
selling me trainers at way under what they could get on eBay as they want to
see their trabs go to a good home, a bit like a family pet they've got to get
rid of.
What
plans do Transalpino have for the future?
The Trainer
market is like the housing market, it has its slumps like the last time we was
trading we hit a slump, I believe we are in the middle of a boom at the moment
fuelled by younger lads showing off their collections on social media, its
seems to have created a fashion of cyberoneupmanship, I've been described
amongst some of these groups as profiteering! But the positive feedback has far
outweighed the cyber warrior set.
At Transalpino
we've got a 5 year plan to develop the shop into the best deadstock shop in the
world bringing in other trainer brands as we grow, it may be a bold statement
but I think it’s a goal that can be achieved. If we don't make it at least
we've come a long way from kipping on train station floors and in foreign
police cells in Europe in the 80s looking for the spezial pair of trabs....
No comments:
Post a Comment