There’s finally help for men unable to define “crop top,” “camisole” and “Boho-chic.”
For many modern males, the words aren’t necessary vocabulary additions. Unless, of course, the holidays have arrived and you’re shopping for a wife or girlfriend.
That’s why Apricot Lane, a women’s clothing boutique at Folsom’s Palladio at Broadstone, will host its first “men’s night” tonight. It’s designed to help men navigate the process of buying clothing gifts for women. And yes, snacks will be provided.
But the food assortment will be slightly different than what you might see at events geared toward women at the store, according to manager and buyer Sasha Nunley. Chocolate helps women shop. Men might prefer potato chips, Nunley said.
A promise of salty snacks isn’t the only thing lessening male shoppers’ chances of a shirtdress-induced panic attack. Conveniently, Apricot Lane has provided a printable wish list in which women can specify their sizes and favorite brands.
Nunley said some men enter her store with many gift ideas. “Other men kind of need a little more help,” she said.
Does the hand-holding take some of the spontaneity out of exchanging gifts? Is it better to leave things to chance and accept a present that’s ill-fitting, yet selected without direction? We don’t know. Much like faux leather leggings, those questions are a matter of personal taste.
Tonight’s event will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. While it’s geared toward men, women will be allowed in the store as well. Vacaville-based Apricot Lane has stores in 29 states. Folsom is the company’s only Sacramento-area location.
Sonya Sorich is social engagement manager and a staff writer at the Sacramento Business Journal. She oversees social media activity and writes about retailing, small business and restaurants.
Sarah Dressler of Dressed by Dressler and Michelle Cantu of 
When Ann Marie Valdez walked into an Apricot Lane clothing boutique at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, California, she was immediately smitten.
Apricot Lane is a women’s wear chain that features trendy designer clothing and celebrity-inspired fashion. Valdez noticed a few placards around the store that mentioned franchise opportunities. It was just what she and her husband, Arne, a salesman, had been looking for.
“I still have the original piece of paper,” she says of the moment more than three years ago. “I was immediately super-excited. My husband and I had been investigating franchise opportunities for years.”
The couple, who have two teenagers, wanted a business that would work in Anchorage, where the couple has lived for twenty years. “We were looking for something I could run and could kind of be my thing,” Valdez says, noting she had been a stay-at-home mom for years. Her teenaged daughter is a big supporter.
“I don’t have a lot of experience in the fashion industry,” she says, although when she was younger she did some modeling in the Seattle area and worked at a Limited clothing store.
The Valdezes settled on a location in the Fifth Avenue Mall in Downtown Anchorage.
“The demographics and anchor stores here in Fifth Avenue were more along the lines of my customers,” she says. “I’m a ‘mom and daughter’ shopping together store.”
The store also hosts fashion shows and trunk parties.
Apricot Lane sells mostly brand-name items, but it’s not a high-end boutique as far as prices are concerned, Valdez says. “Our price points are really good. We try to cater to the mothers and the daughters, but our demographics are pretty wide-ranging—eighteen to fifties and sixties.”
JULIE STRICKER IS A JOURNALIST LIVING NEAR FAIRBANKS.
This article first appeared in the December 2015 print edition of Alaska Business Monthly.
