Monday, January 15, 2007
There’s an expression I learned from Mel Schneck, the pioneering merchandiser and specialty retail visionary with careers at AMC and Lord & Taylor that spans the past four decades of retail's glory days. It goes like this: "Today a peacock; tomorrow a feather duster." There's no better description for what has apparently happened to Kuhlman. Kuhlman is the Minneapolis-based specialty retailer known for brightly colored shirts and trendy fashions first for men, then expanded to women. According to today’s Star Tribune, Kuhlman is about to collapse.
It was no surprise to me. A couple of years ago, when I discovered Kuhlman, I thought it was great. It had a simple story: All the shirts were the same price: $50. Bright colors, noticeable quality and distinctive European style. It was a place where a dull accountant could be cool without feeling like a fool. It took about three minutes to buy a shirt. They had buzz. I don’t like buying clothes that much. In fact, I really don’t like dressy clothes at all. But I liked Kuhlman. They made it easy for a jeans-enthusiast to turn into a dandy in one quick and easy trip. The first time I wore a Kuhlman shirt, an associate complimented it and asked with enthusiasm: “Is that a Kuhlman?”
I'm not sure what it was but something changed, and I never bought another thing at Kuhlman.
The last time I passed the current store in the mall I noticed it’s not small any more. And the selection is more diverse. They mix men’s and women’s clothes now. A few months ago they opened an outlet store across from my bank. The shirts are only $9. I’ve wandered in several times and walked out with nothing -- even at that price. This morning I remembered that I had a coupon for a free shirt. I've had it for a year and I’ve yet to cash it in. They can't even give me a shirt. Kuhlman stock is $.04 a share. What happened?
It wasn’t a decline in quality that stopped me from going back. I didn’t even know the quality had declined. It wasn’t the fast growth of stores that kept me away. No doubt there were many factors that sunk this retail ship but maybe one reason is that a peacock is all flash and not much flesh. Which is why there are very few peacocks, but lots of turkeys.
- Jeff
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