BTSSB NYC Store Closing

[Anonymous No.9772384]

Anyone know what the deal is? I don't live in NYC, so I have no idea if they were having financial troubles or something.

https://www.bssbnyc.com/blogs/news/important-announcement-the-new-york-store-is-closing

[Anonymous No.9772390]

>>9772384
No idea besides I read Tokyo Rebel's post about closing and heard about it there. I assume it wasn't doing well enough with the rise in online independent brands.

[Anonymous No.9772392]

>>9772384
Nooooo I wanted to go to it!

[Anonymous No.9772396]

>>9772384
I assume it's not profitable by themselves if Tokyo Rebel has to back out. Which it sounds like they need to based on their post about it. Online sales are more profitable these days sadly.
>https://www.tokyorebel.com/blogs/news/important-announcement-moving-on-from-our-new-york-store

[Anonymous No.9772398]

>>9772384
Unlike SF the store did not often hold events or engage with the local community.

[Anonymous No.9772424]

>>9772398
They did but tea parties were over priced and insanely limited in how many could attend.

Also I don't think the lack of lolitas buying was a huge issue, it's more insane rent in NYC. Pretty much all niche stuff is being pushed out here anyway.

[Anonymous No.9772524]

>>9772398
They held at least 2 tea parties a year? And not sure what you mean about engaging with the local community but the staff are pretty active.

[Anonymous No.9772543]

>>9772424
Is it a long shot to hope that brand stores will move to other cities and thrive

[Anonymous No.9772562]

>The Mistakes they made:
- Not enough events
- Event tickets cost too much
- Seating limited
- Rental Rates for Retail buildings in NYC
- Not doing enough with their youtube channel

The idea of having a youtube channel was smart, but to make it work they should have done outreach with the east coast Lolita community to have girls come into the store and show how they would coord the latest releases. Every time I saw a video it was like; "This is our new stock" with the shopkeeper just sort of pointing at objects.

>How Angelic Pretty SF does it right;
- Events at multiple different price points. The big yearly is the most expensive and then the in-store tea parties are $40 - $30 a person.
- They stock enough under $60 items to make frequent purchases not out of the question; I stop in a lot to buy a specific item I saw on the site or to browse for an item to buy that day.

>How Babytssb SF does it right:
- Sits right on top of a great tea shop. The tea shop owners know about Lolita fashion and are very welcoming / friendly.
- Is also connected to two other Japanese fashion shops; one is extremely modern design and the other is all real Harajuku stuff with Liz Lisa items (So there's a lot of cross-traffic).

... Where I would say Baby could improve is the staff is a bit stiff and reserved, where as the AP staff likes to get involved and help you shop, they also act more casual.

[Anonymous No.9772569]

>>9772384
I just planned a trip, I'll be going in 2 weeks. I wanted to go to Kinokunia sometime soon anyway. What's a 20 minute subway ride vs never going there again because they closed?

I was there the summer they opened, it's in a SUPER shitty location (Bowery/Chinatown area) for a clothing shop like this. It would have done so much better closer to shopping areas, but I imagine they couldn't spring for rent.

[Anonymous No.9772586]

>>9772562
The staff definitely was stiff. It was a bit uncomfortable sometimes

[Anonymous No.9772589]

>>9772543
I think so. The only place I see it thriving maybe is Little Tokyo in LA but that won't happen since there is already San Francisco stores.

NYC is a city that has a ton of different niche fashions. It could have thrived if the real estate situation wasn't atrocious at this time..

Other than those two places I can't think of another US city for the stores.

[Anonymous No.9772596]

>>9772589
Maybe in the PNW? There seems to be a high tolerance for "weirdness" up there.

[Anonymous No.9772601]

>>9772589
I actually think Philly could be a good choice. There's a high number of lolitas in the direct vicinity, it's much more accessible than NYC for day trips and such since it's not as hectic of a city, and rent would be a lot more manageable. Plus there are a lot of Japanese eateries in Philly so it would work well with the stores already in the city.

[Anonymous No.9772609]

>>9772601
Really? Philly people will buy enough lolita to keep a retail location alive?

[Anonymous No.9772619]

>>9772424
most likely this. My company had a small store in SF. Rent was $10K a month for what amounted to something slightly bigger than a closet.

[Anonymous No.9772623]

I'm terrified because I literally just joined lolita fashion (only own one coord so far) and now every damn shop is closing??

[Anonymous No.9772625]

>>9772384
Usagiyouhinten is also closing.

[Anonymous No.9772635]

>>9772609
I would think so. Its also not far from NYC so the same people who would go to the NYC store could also generally go to philly.

[Anonymous No.9772638]

>>9772562
who's a good girl?

[Anonymous No.9772642]

>>9772623
It looks scary but it's mostly the brick and mortar shops closing, they're still available online afaik.

[Anonymous No.9772644]

>>9772625
Did anybody even care about Usagiyouhinten though?

[Anonymous No.9772673]

>>9772625
Fairy Angel and Fururun are pretty much gone, too. Shit fucking sucks.

[Anonymous No.9772694]

>>9772625
Aww...
>>9772644
It was a decent place; competitively priced, unusual selection compared to Closet Child and carried more "not the big two" Lolita brands.

[Anonymous No.9772711]

Has anyone here actually considered asking the staff instead of speculating? A lot of these assumptions are all over the place.

[Anonymous No.9772720]

>>9772586
I think it depends on who you speak to. The asian girl never speaks to me really but the white girl is sweet and always compliments me

[Anonymous No.9772722]

>>9772644
me, i bought from their online site and follow them on twitter :( I wish they updated their online store more though :,(

[Anonymous No.9772733]

>>9772596
We'd love one in Seattle! We never get anything cool up here. (Although we're getting Mana and MmM for Sakura-Con so I can't complain too much)

[Anonymous No.9772823]

>>9772562

SF bay area lolita here. I do agree 100% with your points anon. I enjoy shopping at both stores (AP and BTSSB) and have been pleased with their promptness, product and efficient service.

But yeah its true. The girls at BTSSB are pretty much a bunch of fucking counts. Albeit *polite* cunts who seem to low key act like they're better than you and will not interact with you, say hello or ask "how are you" even if you are a loyal customer and own/wearing an all BTSSB coord. I would know from experience because I love the product having a sizeable Baby wardrobe, but detest the service.

There is one white girl that is an absolute sweetheart. But the rest of them are stuck up Asian bitches who don't even care to look in your direction even if you are in an all baby coord and would rather gossip amongst themselves. This has happened on more than one occasion and it's made me feel very uncomfortable.
So much so that I felt the need to share it anonymously online .

[Anonymous No.9772824]

>>9772823
Cunts*

[Anonymous No.9772838]

>>9772384
This is going to sound insane, but I had a dream last night about this

[Anonymous No.9772847]

>>9772635
No New Yorker is getting on a 3 hour bus to buy stuff in a store that they can easily buy online.

[Anonymous No.9772857]

>>9772625
I had definitely noticed their stock dwindling for a while. I hope the Instagram stays up though. I love those coord photos.

[Anonymous No.9772886]

>>9772623
buy from brands directly if you can. That's what I'm going to do now.

[Anonymous No.9772994]

>>9772720
Pretty much all the Asian girls there don't talk to you. That one alternative white girl does and she's the only nice one. The rest only gossip pettily amongst themselves and will only talked to you when obliged to or when they feel they can get a sale out of you.

[Anonymous No.9773000]

>>9772823
I will say though that during the tourist season, Baby gets roughed up a lot more then AP. I have gone to Baby in the height of summer in SF and have seen the most appalling behavior by tourists. There are people who wont fit the clothing arguing with the staff about trying stuff on, there are children running around the store without their parents watching... And the touring ita herds.

So maybe the attitude of Baby's staff is affected by this? Because meanwhile AP is in a part of town that is not out of the way, but it's like a block-off the nearest tourist magnet so it's a place you go to specifically because you want to go there; not because you happen to run into it.

[Anonymous No.9773024]

>>9772847
At first I agreed with you, thinking it was 3 hours there and 3 hours back...I googled it and it's not even 3 hours round-trip. Are you fucking kidding me? I'd absolutely go there to see a dress in person before buying it. My comm regularly commutes more than that time just to get to the big city where the nice things are.

[Anonymous No.9773035]

>>9772384
I'm a bit confused. What will happen to the Baby stock? Will it just be a US based Baby seller online? Or is Tokyo Rebel going to take the stock and just sell Baby under the Tokyo Rebel brand?

[Anonymous No.9773041]

>>9773035
Either of those possibilities sound reasonable. If Baby sells it off to Tokyo Rebel then they don't need to pay for it getting shipped around. By contrast, if they want to keep it their closest store is on the other coast within the country or otherwise they would have to ship it overseas to Europe or China or Japan.

[Anonymous No.9773047]

>>9773041
I'd say its likely they'll sell to Tokyo rebel to avoid those shipping costs, otherwise it's going to end up at the SF location cause that's just cheapest.

[Anonymous No.9773049]

Every time I pop in to browse and shop there, I'm always the only one in the store. I'm sure there have been days where they didn't even make a sale. And like everyone says, NYC retail rent is frighteningly high.

I work in a Pandora right smack in the middle of Soho on the most busy street next to other popular stores and the whole area just isn't doing well. Tourists either help or hurt your business and locals don't always have money to shop. Also, the freezing weather right now is causing a big slump.

So if that's how a popular normie jewelry brand is doing I can't imagine how Baby is managing. Allen St. is more residential than shopping so the only people who are going there are people who know it's there. It sounds dumb but what I mean is that no one is just stumbling across Baby which is how a lot of stores in the city rely on making money. That's why businesses pay out the ass for rent in the middle of Times Square; no one knows you're there beforehand but they'll see you because fucking everyone goes to Times Square.

I personally think Baby would've done loads better in St. Marks (punk neighborhood, cute cafes, good restaurants, lots of young adults in niche fashions and tourists) but I can only imagine the rent. One of my friends said it would've been perfect if they were in the basement of Kinokuniya but that would've been near impossible to manage.

Honestly I knew they weren't going to last that long. Yeah, the grand opening was super busy but a lot of the lolitas that came were from out of state. The only hope I think Baby had was if the style became a trend among normies but the chances of that happening are close to none.

[Anonymous No.9773056]

>>9773049
Baby SF is located right in Japantown and I think it really does help their business with all the cross-traffic, so I could see placing the NYC one near a Kinokuniya as being smart. What saves AP in SF not being in Japantown is it is in a location where a lot of public transportation intersects, so there are a lot of easy ways to get there; on foot, subway, surface bus (multiple bus routes touch it), taxi, by foot, so on. The funniest thing is, actually, that AP is right next to a bus stop that shoots straight to Japantown. So if you are at Baby or at AP you can jump right on a bus (from baby you have to walk over a block to the other side of Japantown mall) and hit the other store in less then 20 or 15 mins.

[Anonymous No.9773073]

>>9773049
I work at the uniqlo at soho and even we don't hit goal that often. I do agree St. Marks/Astor Place would of been a better area because theres alot of niche fashion stores there.

It's unfortunate that area of where you put your stores really have a big effect on buissness especially in NYC, I think where they put it was not fitting at all.

[Anonymous No.9773100]

>>9773035
Do you not read? On their blog it says everything will be transferrred to sfo.

[Anonymous No.9773934]

>>9772562
SF lolita here. Ironically enough I've got it the other way around where the AP staff is more quiet and reserved, while the BABY staff is more open and chatty. I shop at AP far more often than I shop at BABY as well.

>>9772589
Wasn't there a secondhand shop for a while in Little Tokyo? Iirc they did well for a while but ended up closing because they couldn't afford rent and there weren't enough sales.

[Anonymous No.9773969]

>>9773000

That may be so, anon. But that's still no excuse to be rude and dismissive to loyal customers. Especially to the actual lolitas wearing their brand who purchase frequently from them, (i.e. myself).
I came in 3 times in the past month and bought two skirts, a blouse, an OTT jsk and some socks. I was NEVER greeted, asked how my day was and was strictly ONLY spoken to when I had questions about the product or my transactions. They went onto ignore me and chat amongst themselves not even asking if I was doing alright.

I've worked retail and customer service before for years including high end retail. This behavior wouldn't fly anywhere else. I'm sorry but there are no excuses for this.

[Anonymous No.9773976]

>>9773934
Sorry about your experience anon. Mine is the opposite of yours.

I just wanted to point out that there is a difference between being reserved and being dismissive/ low key apathetic, the latter of which is the attitude i personally sense from the SF baby staff.

[Anonymous No.9773977]

>>9773969
I've never lived near a storefront, out of curiosity do the staff wear lolita themselves/are part of the local comm? I can't imagine normies wanting to work there.

[Anonymous No.9773987]

>>9773977
Nayrt but from what I've seen when the store posted about applications for new shop girls, they specified that knowledge about the fashion and wearing the clothes is a requirement.

[Anonymous No.9774027]

>>9773977
They (both stores in sf) wear Lolita and are always coorded well. I don't know if they are part of the comm, but they usually model the clothing well.

[Anonymous No.9774030]

>>9772644
I bought a ouji set from them and the people running the online shop seemed very nice. It did seem like they had been carrying less and less though.

[Anonymous No.9774075]

>>9772994
Do they talk to you if you're Asian, or only treat people who aren't Asian like that?

[Anonymous No.9774111]

[Anonymous No.9774132]

>>9772623
>and now every damn shop is closing
Has been going on for a while, we live in times where and everyone and their mom knows how to shop online and renting a warehouse fully stuffed with products is cheaper than running an actual shop.

[Anonymous No.9774155]

>>9774075
Nayrt but you know how asian girls are. They only talk to your face if you're asian, but they'll talk behind everyone's backs.

[Anonymous No.9774167]

>>9774155
Are you ok? Did an Asian girl steal your boyfriend or something?

[Anonymous No.9774175]

>>9772398
Aren't they having an event next week?

[Anonymous No.9774193]

When I first heard this I felt kinda gutted, my first “real” foray into NYC was going to include BABY as a major stop. But... retail stores are fucked in nearly every way, except maybe Target which is doing phenomenally. I think it’s less indicative of the fashion as a whole and more general sales trends. That said, the concept of entering a lolita store with everything on display is pretty damn whimsical and I guess I’ll have to go elsewhere to experience it.

[Anonymous No.9774198]

>>9772847
>bus

So you aren't a New Yorker obvs

[Anonymous No.9774233]

>>9774198
Nayrt but what are you even talking about? Have you never taken a bus in ny before?

[Anonymous No.9774236]

>>9774233
A city bus yes, but if you want to go to Philly, you just take NJ transit from Penn Station. A bus takes way longer and is gross

[Anonymous No.9774275]

>>9774236
That's your solution? NJ transit to Trenton then SEPTA? You think New Yorkers will do that just to visit a store?

[Anonymous No.9774313]

>>9774275
To visit a store and see friends and have tea, yes. I do it pretty frequently. It takes like an hour and fifteen max each way?

[Anonymous No.9774330]

>>9774155
...you realize this is probably the case because they're more comfortable talking to people who speak their language/understand where they're coming from, right? lol i wouldn't want to talk to you either anon

[Anonymous No.9774380]

>>9774330
>BTSSB NYC
>New York City, United States
>who speak their language
That would be English. And most likely not even as their second language, but native one. US store wouldn't hire people who don't speak native language of the hosting country fluently.
There might be cultural difference, they might use different language at home with family, but it's very unlikely for them to be 1st generation immigrants.
It's just how Asians behave, they are different than Westerners. There are even differences between Americans and Europeans, the former being much more open and easy-going.

[Anonymous No.9774393]

>>9774380
I wonder about this since NY branch constantly list staffer's name in most online postings. If you dig there are many asians but they have western names....are they actually foreign born?

[Anonymous No.9774399]

>>9774380
Have you even been to the store? I've only ever seen two girls working in the ~10 times I've gone but one of them is obviously esl. She never acknowledged me but I saw her having animated conversation with a tourist non-lolita Chinese family one time I went.

[Anonymous No.9774411]

>>9774155
Thats the NYC comm in a nutshell.

[Anonymous No.9774452]

>>9774380
>it's just how asians behave
angry white chick detected

[Anonymous No.9774530]

>>9774452
Something tells me you're white and have not grown up around a lot of Asians. Please stop pretending that there aren't cultural differences among racial groups. We're all grownups here. This isn't the land of political correctness and elementary-school level social indoctrination.

[Anonymous No.9774537]

>>9774530
Angry white girl detected

[Anonymous No.9774616]

Kek are the white people here saying the white nice girl is the only good one since she's white?

[Anonymous No.9774618]

>>9774530
>yfw I'm half white half Asian

i'm having a fuckin laugh. sorry you feel excluded from a friend group anon.

[Anonymous No.9774629]

>>9774155

Like you're doing now on a anonymous filipino silk weaving board?

[Anonymous No.9774637]

BTSSB Paris closed a year ago in March too ... Ppl said that it was because it wasn't selling well, but we asked the staff and they said it was because the japanese headquarters wanted too

[Anonymous No.9774665]

>>9774637
Obvious PR talk. What company wants to outright admit that their brand is doing poorly? Think of it logically:
>"Wow, we're selling well in Paris. Let's close it down."
>"But why??? If it's making you a profit, what sane business would cut those profits off?"
>I'm the one who wears the bloomers around here, and if I say cut it then CUT IT."

[Anonymous No.9774755]

>>9774393
Some people give their kids a Western middle name, just because. In the case of some Korean classmates I had, it was because they were Catholic and that was their church name or something idk. And some people start going by a Western name when they move and do the same for their children to avoid translation/spelling/pronunciations issues.

[Anonymous No.9774799]

>>9772569
I work real estate. I bet their rent went up, if you don't own, they only want banks, giant mega companies or medical clinics now because they pay well and pay reliably, it is shit but it sucks. They should move to Jersey City where real estate is cheap and still nice and for what they were paying they could get double the space, still be close enough to NYC to get that crowd and the north NJ crowd.

[Anonymous No.9774829]

>>9774799
I took me too long to make grammatical sense of that in my head

[Anonymous No.9774842]

>>9774829
I think the own was supposed to a be a know

[Anonymous No.9774930]

>>9772847
>>9773024
>less than 3 hour round trip to buy and see something in person and have it instantly
>buy online, pay for shipping (?) and wait for shipping and handling
yeah, really gets the brain almonds activating. what a no brainer, i'd absolutely kill for anything like that in my country.

[Anonymous No.9774955]

>>9772823
Seconded, AP>BTSSB. AP always treated me better in and out of Lolita. Baby staff just don't give a damn.

[Anonymous No.9775079]

>>9772733
I would go if they opened up in Seattle.

[Anonymous No.9775088]

>>9774275
A lolita would. how many lolitas traveled to NYC literally so they could visit the store there? Philly is more accessible and will bring in more people for STATES around because driving in Philly isn't absolute ass like driving in NYC is. Maybe a few poorfags in NYC will lose access but most lolitas who are actually spending money on brand will have enough that it won't *really* be an inconvenience to go like, an hour and change to go shopping. Tons of people already drive for 30+ minutes to get to shopping malls and shit anyway, like literally anyone that doesn't live inside a city.

[Anonymous No.9775157]

>>9774842
If you don’t own your property*

[Anonymous No.9775166]

>>9774665
The french shop staff wrote on her Facebook something like "all the earings were used to keep the shop alive". So while it probably could support itself, it didn't made a huge profit

[Anonymous No.9775236]

I visited the NYC in April and I was the only one there. Coming from the subway the whole area was quiet and not very busy. It was a relief from all of the hustle and bustle, but it wasn’t a great location for a Lolita shop. I feel like they had more online sales than in person sales.

The YouTube channel was okay if one girl was showing items. Otherwise it came across as really boring. I’m assuming they were trying to replicate Japan Btssb videos were Misako would introduce items, but it only worked because Misako was naturally quiet and graceful.

I’m sad to see there will be no love for Lolita Fashion on the east coast, but I’m glad I got to make the trip out.

[Anonymous No.9775298]

>>9775166
Right, which means that from a business standpoint it was failing. Thus, it was closed down. My scenario was made to demonstrate how dumb it would be to close it down IF it was making good profit just because "Japanese headquarters wanted it closed"

[Anonymous No.9775309]

>>9774075
No anon. Race has nothing to do with it. They just happen to be Asian is all. I'm Asian myself and whenever I go in they still ignore me.
And they're the Americanized western type of Asians. Not the FOB-ish foreign types of Asians. Now THOSE Asians can be the most judgemental, classist and sometimes even racist, especially the Chinese and Korean ones.
Living in the bay area, you get to know different types of Asians . ...

[Anonymous No.9775315]

>>9774616
No. I was one of the girls who said she was nice and I'm Asian. White girl has seen me several times and I, her. I do like her persona and service and that had nothing to do with her race.
Then again as an Asian American woman I have very little national pride so I could give a fuck what race people are. I don't even date Asian men. Just give me good/decent customer service if I'm in your place of business and I'm good to go.
Completely libertarian here.

[Anonymous No.9775323]

>>9774530
So you equate what is percieved racial/ cultural ignorance with being white??? Am I getting that right? Is that how you assumed the OP's race?
Isn't that assumption racist in and of itself, anon?

[Anonymous No.9775404]

>>9775323
No I equate it ignorance with being a bigot, which college kids today are guilty of across all ethnicities.

[Anonymous No.9775411]

>>9773934
SF lolita here, I go to both pretty evenly. Neither seem rude, but that's all I care about, I'm usually just there to buy not make friends with the staff.

[Anonymous No.9775477]

>>9775411
Same. At the end of the day, its the product I care about, not the staff. I prefer shopping in person because I get to see the product in person up close, touch it, feel it and make a much more informed purchase decision as opposed to the convenience of buying online.

I do think that part of being in real life is the service and experience apart from the product. So far, Baby SF's customer service is efficient but it sucks in terms of friendliness, approachability and comfort. The product as well as the ambiance is beautiful though, I'll say that.

[Anonymous No.9775480]

>>9775477
Buying in real life*

[Anonymous No.9775483]

>>9775404
Well as long as you're inclusive about it I suppose.

[Anonymous No.9775755]

>>9774193
Nothing whimsical about that store, decoration wise and stock wise... And the white girl staff is boring AF

[Anonymous No.9775785]

>>9775088
Yuup, am a Pennsylvania Lolita and would go the NYC BtSSB store if driving into NYC wasn't such a pain in the ass.

[Anonymous No.9775796]

>>9775785
CT and I feel the same. I'll gladly drive 3-4 hours round trip to check out a brand store, but not if it involves driving to NYC.

I agree with other anons saying Philly would be a good location. I'm originally from Philly and driving into center city and finding a parking spot is not a headache at all (provided you're cool with paying $15-25 for a spot in a parking lot).

[Anonymous No.9775823]

Kek all of you thinking an elite brand like Baby or even AP would ever stoop to having a store in anywhere that isn't NYC, LA, Paris, SF, Shanghai, etc. Baby the Stars Shine Bright Pittsburg even sounds ugly. Come on, now. Japanese people only see value in the USA in it's major cities.

[Anonymous No.9775849]

>>9775823
>Philadelphia
>not a major US City

Come on now. I get that many Japanese people might not think Philly when they think of major US cities, but don't talk like the former US capital, in the center of the NE urban corridor, with 8.5 million in the greater city area is nothing to shake a stick at.

[Anonymous No.9775851]

>>9772720
>>9772823
>>9772994
>>9774616>>9775755
Her name is Kitsy. I'm an old gull so I remember her from old /cgl/ when she dated horse face Ashley Parish from LA. Claims abuse and assault. Had a relationship with another shop staff....I followed her online ever since and the drama is minimal but juicy. Nice girl though

[Anonymous No.9775854]

>>9775849
Still I don't think a major jp brand would ever consider places that don't sound famous like NY or LA. I'm actually surprised so brand store exists in LA but I presume SF isn't far off the bat.

Paris, then NYC.. it simply seems like a domino effect. Feels doubtful they'd want to "try again" in a smaller city.

[Anonymous No.9775869]

>>9775849
>I get that many Japanese people might not think Philly when they think of major US cities
that's exactly why it wouldn't fly
part of the game is keeping up appearances and closing a store in paris with some bullshit reasoning is better than having a place in a smaller name-value city

[Anonymous No.9775923]

>>9775851
I think they may be referring to the white sales staff girl at the SF Baby location, anon.

[Anonymous No.9776118]

>>9775923
No my comment was about the NY staff.

[Anonymous No.9776248]

I'm heading to NYC later this month. I'm not remotely familiar with the fashion stores in the city.

Do you y'all have any recommendations on stores that are geared towards Japanese fashion or similar?

I had wanted to check out these stores, but if they are closing any alternatives would be a great help.

[Anonymous No.9776291]

>>9776248
BSSB/Tokyo Rebel should be open through the end of February. Gelato Pique is nearby and there's a LINE store at Times Square.

Dover Street Market has Comme des Garcons, Undercover, sacai, etc if you're into the other side of Jfashion.

[Anonymous No.9776295]

>>9776248
Kinokuniya has GLB and jfashion magazines.

[Anonymous No.9776507]

>>9775785
>>9775796
Protip: Drive into Manhattan on a Sunday, far less traffic and the meters are off.

[Anonymous No.9776741]

They should totally set up shop at the Woodbury Commons outlet mall. All the Chinese people shop there anyway.

[Anonymous No.9778098]

>>9775851
>inuashley

top kek

[Anonymous No.9781238]

I spoke to an NYC staff who said there will be some kind of event before closing. Anyone else interested in going?

[Anonymous No.9781548]

>>9781238
i would be, where can i find details on it when they're up?

[Anonymous No.9781983]

>>9781548
She said to keep checking online for when they post details.
I also tried to ask if the store was closing because of rent and she said no. She refused to keep answering anything else

[Anonymous No.9781990]

>>9775851
I know her and I had no idea. I want to hear more anon but I also don't want this thread to get tanked

[Anonymous No.9783652]

Today I went to the store and a chinese staff told me there will be an event March 2nd. Looks like a friday?

[Anonymous No.9784073]

[Anonymous No.9784091]

>>9772424
>>9772619
The sad irony is large cities are the only places these specialist stores can thrive because of the population density meaning more people interested in that particular lifestyle are concentrated enough to be profitable.

[Anonymous No.9785397]

>>9775851
>>9775923
I posted that and nope, I was talking about BTSSB white girl, no name dropping plz

[Anonymous No.9785399]

>>9781990
Same here, I want to know

[Anonymous No.9785415]

>>9772733
If rents an issue in NYC for them chances are they're not going to open anything in Seattle where rent is just as fucked

[Anonymous No.9785449]

>>9784073
>Price of tea party ticket is $80
>Menu price of high tea at listed vendor is $40

Yeah no...

[Anonymous No.9785458]

>>9784073
What dress is that? It looks really cute.

[Anonymous No.9785469]

>>9784073
I kinda wanna take the plunge and go just to experience an event like this at least once because I doubt I'd ever get another chance.
I'm not part of any comm and NY doesn't seem to have any brand event unless I've just been missing them.

Do you guys think it'll be worth it or nah?

[Anonymous No.9785580]

>>9785449
They probably have to pay a room charge plus Misako’s airfare/hotel or at least appearance fee. You’ve gotta be aware that there’s more cost involved than just food

[Anonymous No.9785606]

>>9785449
You're the exact reason why Japanese guests don't want to come out west, and why brand shops are closing. Jesus, pull your head out of your ass - do you really think Misako is just going to waltz over to NYC, have tea with a 100+ girls for free and everyone just pays their own $40 a head? Yeah no...
Where do you think all the other shit comes from? Goodie bags, raffle prizes, photographers, etc. ?

I'm sorry you think you're too poor for this but if you actually cared an ounce about the fashion at all you'd attend, its a decent price. I hope your next taobao order gets lost.

[Anonymous No.9785651]

>>9785606
i'll pay you $17.50 to roast people i hate that show up to my funeral

[Anonymous No.9785675]

>>9784073
>ready to buy ticket
>even trying to get NYC friend to dress up and go with me
>finally going to go to a tea party and meet other lolitas
>check bank account.
>turns out I paid one of my biggest monthly bills TWICE
>checking at zero and savings depleted to $40
>get paid on Thursday, but tix will most certainly sell out in first hour

I want to die...

[Anonymous No.9785695]

>>9785675
Anon, do you have a throwaway I can contact you at? I've never been to an event like this so don't know if it'll be a bloodbath or not, but in case it is I'm having my boyfriend try to get a ticket tomorrow too. If he does end up getting one I'd gladly sell it to you at the same price we pay.

[Anonymous No.9785721]

>>9785449
You obviously have never been to a real brand event. I've been to past NYC Baby and Tokyo Rebel events. Their last tea party was at the same tea venue and since it's a private tea party they rent the entire top floor of the restaurant, so no gawking from random normies and no sharing a bathroom or servers with them either. Keep in mind they always give complimentary gift bags and hold contests with prizes. An extra $40 to have a private floor in a teahouse with all of this plus Misako is extremely reasonable, anon.

[Anonymous No.9785732]

>>9785695
thank you so much anon!
luckily I was able to borrow a couple bucks from my sister, since I'll be able to pay her back soon after.
You made my day. can't wait to see your sweet soul at the tea party!!

[Anonymous No.9785861]

>>9785606
> I hope your next taobao order gets lost

top kek. thank you anon

[Anonymous No.9785864]

>>9785399
>>9781990

God I have to know. Isn't name dropping allowed if it's not malicious? I checked the rules and that's what I thought.

[Anonymous No.9785901]

>>9785469
Just go. NY comm doesnt really exists and its a way for you to actually meet some cliques.

[[e-mail] No.9786384]

>>9785695
sooo, holy shit. it was a bloodbath.
If you happened to have gotten an extra ticket, please hit me up if you'd like to sell it. I will buy it from you immediately

[Anonymous No.9786412]

>>9786384
I messaged one of the shopgirls about it and she said the best way would be to ask to be put on a waiting list since people might drop

[Anonymous No.9786420]

>>9786384
I didn't get an extra, sorry! I'd do what >>9786412 said but if I do end up not going I'll let you know. You should still be able to meet Misako even without a ticket though

[Anonymous No.9786525]

>>9786420
>>9786412
Thank you both. I called the store and got put on the list. I'd love to meet Misako, but I'm really really into the tea party. I've never been to s proper tea and it's my dream.

>lonelita in the middle of nowhere problems

[Anonymous No.9786710]

>>9785864
I think so? Well I like white staff-chan and have nothing bad to say about her, and her relationship with the other staff is a good read. I can dish if it's allowed, but the ex with the reputation is who I don't want to violate rules over.

[Anonymous No.9786754]

>>9786420
>still be able to meet Misako even without a ticket

You think so? I was working the whole day today so I didn't even have a chance!

[Anonymous No.9786769]

>>9786754
>still wanting to meet misako

yikes

[Anonymous No.9786770]

>>9786754
It says the store/meeting Misako will be open to the public after the event is over on the page!

[Anonymous No.9787093]

>>9786769
I'm a little out of the loop, are people still giving Misako shit since she still collaborates with Anime Matsuri?

[Anonymous No.9787101]

>>9786769
>>>/r9k/

[Anonymous No.9787443]

How many anons here have tickets to the tea party? Will any of you be willing to ask the real reason why they're closing?

[Anonymous No.9787507]

>>9787443
I do but I think it'd be pointless to ask. Any reasoning they give will just be PR double-talk and half truths anyway. They won't get bad PR and say "our sales are on decline" or "the rent went up and it;s too much to afford" or anything like that. They'll probably just say the same thing they did for the Paris closing - that it was the decision of the main Japanese branch, which would be a half-truth that skips around the question being asked.

[Anonymous No.9787660]

Has anyone thought to ask a staff member in private? A former employee told me several staff members were fired over the years. Perhaps someone has a vendetta they can spill

[Anonymous No.9788000]

>>9787443
anon, the next time you are down there, take a good look at all the store fronts on the same block. A majority of them have a "for lease" sign on them. It's not like they were doing terribly in sales, just not enough profit to merit renewing the lease. Not to mention their location wasn't the easiest to get to. There is no fucking vendetta to spill. These questions are just from idiots who don't understand how businesses work.

[Anonymous No.9788145]

>>9787093
>are people still giving Misako shit since she still collaborates with Anime Matsuri
Basicly.

[Anonymous No.9789414]

>>9788145
I tried to get a ticket and it sold out in under 2 minutes. I wonder if that many people actually want to see Misako or if some people are going to troll

[Anonymous No.9789420]

>>9789414
>Paying $80 just to troll Misako over petty shit

Who gives a fuck about the Leigh's. Honestly this "you're with us or against us" mentality is dumb. I didn't even hear about the fucks before the drama and even now I don't really care about them. Unless Misako says "I like watching John kiss 8 year old booty" I really could give zero fucks. Misako probably doesn't even know who he is.

[Anonymous No.9789424]

>>9789420
They’ve worked together several times and he’s bought her Prada goods

[Anonymous No.9789504]

>>9789420
>>9789424
I think it’s foolish to say “she is Japanese so she doesn’t even know anything about them” but also silly to assume she is totally ok with a man with pedophilic behavior. I don’t know how much she knows, and if someone has sent her information about it in clear language, but she may also not recognize that it’s not really just allegations at this point.

[Anonymous No.9790351]

>>9775851
Isn't she back in the states? That sounds like a serious claim is the SoCal comm aware?

[Anonymous No.9791386]

They posted more information about closure on the website but not a clear answer as to why

https://www.bssbnyc.com/blogs/news/important-updates-regarding-our-upcoming-closure

[Anonymous No.9792081]

Any other anons who missed out on tea party tickets planning on going to the meet and greet? They don't say when it begins online.

[Anonymous No.9792136]

Other anons have said it best, and while I think that rent is always part of the problem here, I think they were in a really terrible location. I'm a local and the few times in the last couple years I went because I actually needed like a blouse or accessory, their selection was such crap it was a total waste of my time. I'd happily buy more brand there but there's nothing to buy, and it's really not worth going all the way to the LES.

I think a broader lolita or J-fashion shop would do really well if it incorporated a higher variety of brands, styles, and items, as well as if they were to move to the East Village or even near Bryant Park- somewhere where weeaboo locals and tourists are likely to already be.

>>9787660
They do seem to have 1 or 2 core staff and high turnover for the rest. I'm very curious now.

[Anonymous No.9794455]

What do we wear for the tea party? It's hosted by Tokyo Rebel and not BABY, so would it be in poor taste to wear AP?
I know TR doesn't stock AP so I'm not sure. Should I stick to baby and brands TR does have?

[Anonymous No.9794671]

>>9775851
>>9790351

Kek I was going to contribute information but I got banned for trying to post about it. Oh /cgl/ how you've fallen.

[Anonymous No.9794706]

>>9794455
I would stick to Baby and Tokyo Rebel brands since they usually do coordinate contests and it may give you an advantage

[Anonymous No.9796611]

>>9794671
lol i really wanted to know

[Anonymous No.9796643]

>>9775088
Maryland lolita here, BTSSB should move here

[Anonymous No.9796666]

>>9794455
I was thinking of just being casual and wearing pastel colors since I don’t wear Lolita often anymore. Im wondering if that would be bad since I am only going to meet Misako and not the tea party.

[Anonymous No.9796725]

>>9794455
I'm wearing VM since TR stocked them often and the event says Tokyo Rebel so you can probably get away with anything except AP or taobao main pieces.

[Anonymous No.9797653]

>>9796611
>>9794671
Just go to lolcow, there is a thread there

[Anonymous No.9797719]

>>9792136
Kitsy is the only core staff but she might be manager. She's been mentioned in tokyo rebel posts as far back as 2012 but every other staffer seems to only last weeks or months at longest which is strange. With the high turnover does anyone in NY comm know a former staffer who can dish?

[Anonymous No.9800537]

Would it be rude to ask Misako for an autograph? I'm really excited to see her.

>>9792136
>Bryand Park
I think of this all the time. What even is there around their current location? It's kind of a dead zone as far as anything interesting. I can't imagine there would be any customers going there that don't already know it's there. With its location, I don't see how they would assume they may win over new customers. If they were to put it near Bryant Park, they'd have Kinonuniya, Book-off, Sunrise Market, Nintendo World, etc. all within walking distance. It really is a great spot for weebs to just stumble on it and get sucked into the fashion. It'd probably even get some normies into it given the hotspot tourist area it is. I mean, sure the rent is waaaaay pricier over there, but I'd imagine the larger exposure may benefit it more.

The drawbacks would be visitors potentially being offended when you turn them away from the dressing room when it's obvious they'll ruin a dress, leading to potential bad press? It's weird because Kinokuniya is probably the easiest place in the city to find lolitas in the wild having snacks on the top floor or reading j-fash magazines in the bottom floor. Having their store in a less traffic dense district may save rent but does absolutely nothing for making it convenient for people to discover or make their way to you.

[Anonymous No.9802045]

>>9800537
I don't think you're from NYC. Bryant part is very expensive and if you've been to Japan you'd know that all brand stores are tiny and mostly partitioned inside malls like Laforet and Marui and otherwise placed in cramped alleys or on 2nd floors of rando buildings. Stores in Shibuya 109 don't last or are shuffled around all the time. There's no way any brand store can last in Bryant park where even most basic chains can't afford the rent there. Also this is the assumption that lazy weebs are the ones who spend money to support these brand stores I doubt it. And since they sell everything online the location is irrelvant..... if you're small then you know you can fit brand without having to trek out to try on.

[Anonymous No.9802712]

Who else is going to the tea party? It's supposed to be windy and rainy all day tomorrow.

[Anonymous No.9803919]

Coats.

[Anonymous No.9803924]

fishe.

[Anonymous No.9803951]

Too scared to talk to people

[Anonymous No.9804003]

>>9803919
>>9803924
sending you blessings for these photos anon
I missed out on a ticket because I got too comfortable and was updating my address...ticket was ripped from cart by 1:03pm

please, keep sharing whatever you feel comfortable sharing because I want to live vicariously through you.

[Anonymous No.9804030]

>>9787443
It's the reason that everyone already knows. People simply didn't buy enough from the storefront. Including people from the NY and NJ comm itself who whine and complain that it's closing but also rarely bought anything from there to support it. Not at all a surprise.

[Anonymous No.9804304]

Goodie bag was literally peanuts, what the fuck TR? I know times are hard but you couldn't spring for some ribbon clips or something?