Smack in the middle of New York City on the shoppers' paradise known as Fifth Avenue, sits a four-level mecca of style that caters to young women around the world.
The brown and white stripes of Henri Bendel marked the forefront of fashion in the early 1900s when store founder Henry Willis Bendel, a milliner by trade, decorated New York's elite in his accessories. Now those same stripes are marking new territory at Lenox Square with the Atlanta debut of Henri Bendel.
But shoppers shouldn't expect to see a scaled-down version of the New York flagship taking up space at the mall. This is a Henri Bendel revamped for a new era. "We do play on what [Bendel] built and how he built it, but we take the brand from the 1900s into the new century," said company president, Chris Fiore.
When he opened the store in 1895, Bendel proved to be an innovator. Though reportedly dealing with personal tragedy -- his wife died after just one year of marriage -- Bendel, a Louisiana native, would go on to create one of the world's most recognizable brands. He is credited with bringing Coco Chanel's Parisian style to the states and even as the store shifted from family to corporate owned, that spirit of discovering and launching new designers continued.
In 1985, Limited Brands -- the parent company behind retailers such as Bath and Body Works and Victoria's Secret -- purchased the New York retailer. After a brief attempt in the early '90s to expand to other markets, most notably a junior anchor store in Chicago's 900 North Michigan mall, it became clear that the New York flagship -- 25,000-square-foot historic landmark -- simply could not be duplicated.
In 2005, the company decided to take a different approach.
"We started developing our own line of Henri Bendel goods," Fiore said. "Our own line of jewelry, handbags, etcetera and we really tried to establish ourselves as a gift store."
That meant creating branded (brown and white striped) versions of everything from scarves and poker sets ($98) to iPhone covers ($68) and a $5,000 jewelry trunk.
"Last year, we had 10 stores and we're doing pretty well, so Limited Brands CEO Leslie Wexner ... is now a believer that this brand has legs," Fiore said.
Those legs carried the brand all the way to Lenox Square where a Henri Bendel boutique opened Oct. 1. The store is one of eight stores opening by the end of the year and by 2012, there will be a total 30 stores nationwide. Lenox, Fiore said, was the perfect location for the Bendel brand.
"If you are going to take a brand like ours with a heritage like ours and take the first step into Atlanta, you've got to wait for Lenox to be available," Fiore said.
Though the product assortment is the same from one boutique to another, the company takes special care to tailor the merchandise in each store to the local customer. For example, the Atlanta store currently stocks cashmere sweaters, not because it is a store in a cooler climate, but because they know Atlanta women love cashmere, Fiore said.
Already, metro-area shoppers have shown strong interest in the branded puppy products which include a brown-and-white-striped puppy tote for $295, a puppy travel set packed in the famous Bendel hatbox, $495, and a Swarovski-embellished dog brush for $98.
Jewelry includes bangles, necklaces, earrings and cocktail rings, while leather goods include totes, handbags, wristlets and more, some bearing the classic stripes and others with more whimsical designs.
After a test period in Bath and Body Works stores, the company took the 24-scent line of Henri Bendel candles and home fragrances exclusively to Bendel stores. In keeping with company history, there is also a line of personal fragrance that includes everything from body butters to rollerballs.
A private label food assortment typically lands in store during the holidays and may be introduced year-round in the future, Fiore said.
He is pleased, he said, with the reception Bendel's has received so far in the city.
"I was quite surprised and very pleased the Lenox customer knew the brand so well," he said. "We serve the fashionable woman and we serve her with newness and sophistication. We are in Atlanta because we know she is there."
Henri Bendel
Lenox Square. 3393 Peachtree Road N.E. 404-816-4959. www.henribendel.com. Hours: 10 a.m. -- 9 p.m., Mon. -- Sat.; 12 -- 6 p.m. Sun.
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