J.C. Penney rolls out new logo, prices

J.C. Penney has a new look, a new pricing strategy, a new CEO and a new philosophy - and they're not particularly modest about their expectations.

"J. C. Penney Company, Inc. is taking the first steps on its path to reclaiming its birthright and becoming America’s favorite store," read the opening sentence of a press release Monday about the initiative.  The changes debut on Wednesday.

The company, coming off a string of lackluster sales results, is revamping its approach under the leadership of Ron Johnson. He's the man who brought Apple stores into being, along with former CEO Steve Jobs.

The new JCP logo

Some of the changes are cosmetic, such as the company's new square logo, meant to go with the chain's new  "Fair and Square" approach. Changes to pricing are more substantive. The company is moving away from promotions, coupons and steep, short sales to a simplified, three-color strategy. Red label items will be "everyday" low prices, white labels will indicate month-long discounts, and blue labels will be located on "best price Friday" items.


"Three ways to price our merchandise, and no more," J.C. Penney said, in its press release. 


Johnson is also attempting to de-clutter the stores and make them cleaner-looking. There will be no more tables in aisles, and 70 percent fewer signs. Anything will be accepted for return at any store, J.C. Penney said, and stores will change monthly "to make it fun and fulfilling to shop."


Some analysts have hailed the move, while others say it poses a risk to J.C. Penney: If customers accustomed to sharp two-day sales with eye-popping 70 percent off headlines, will they respond to Red, White, and Blue? 


There are more than 1,100 J.C. Penney stores nationwide. In the Charlotte region, there are five stores, at Carolina Place mall in Pineville, Eastridge Mall in Gastonia, Carolina Mall in Concord, the Rock Hill Galleria and Monroe Crossing. 


So, what do you think? Will bringing in an ex-Apple guru, cleaning up the stores and simplifying the prices lure you to J.C. Penney?

Will 2012 be the year H&M opens in Charlotte?

H&M, the fast-fashion retailer with a fervent fan base, posted its full-year earnings late last week, and said it plans to open a total of 275 new stores across the world this year.

The company has a total of about 2,500 stores, two of which are in North Carolina. The first is in Raleigh, while a second store in Winston-Salem opened late last year.

Charlotte has yet to have an H&M opening, however. The Stockholm-based store has reportedly inquired about a local location in the past, but hasn't found the right fit.

In its earnings report, H&M said it plans to open the greatest number of new stores this year in China, the U.S. and the United Kingdom. H&M will also open its first stores in Bulgaria, Latvia, Malaysia, Thailand and Mexico (no word about Charlotte in the list of new markets).

The Facebook group "Bring H&M to Charlotte" is still drawing fresh posts, proving that hope never dies. Charlotte had to wait years for its first Whole Foods, as they spread across the state, but that store will open in the SouthPark area this year. So with 275 new H&M stores being built this year, do you think one of them will be in Charlotte?

New boutique opening in Metropolitan

Lipp Boutique will open Sunday afternoon at the Metropolitan in midtown Charlotte, offering a selection of designer apparel and accessories for women.

The store is the creation of Shital Vaghasiya, who moved to Charlotte from Chicago about three years ago with her husband.

"The boutique will carry women’s clothing and accessories by a variety of designers. I wanted to bring fabulous, cutting-edge fashion to Charlotte," said Vaghasiya, in a statement. "I hand-picked what I think is a great mix of up-and-coming designers as well as more established designer lines."

Lipp will carry clothing, jewelry, makeup, purses and shoes. Labels will include Paige, Hudson, Cotton Citizen, BCBG Max  Azria, French Connection, Michael Kors, Young, Fabulous & Broke, among others. The hours will be 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. The store is opening at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 29.

The store isn't Vaghasiya's first foray into business. She previously owned a string of Jimmy Johns restaurants in Chicago, which she sold when she moved to Charlotte. Vaghasiya said she plans to open a second Charlotte location for Lipp in the future.

Lipp's Twitter account is here, and Facebook is here.


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Blockbuster on East Boulevard closing

So, the signs have been up for a little while now, but I finally have time to post a quick note about this: The Blockbuster store at East Boulevard and Kenilworth Avenue is closing in a few weeks.

The store is selling off its inventory, and an employee says its last day of business will be Feb. 19th. Blockbuster is chopping hundreds of locations, since the chain declared bankruptcy and was bought for $320 million by satellite TV provider Dish Network.

The chain is trying to promote its Redbox-like rentals, a Netflix-like mail rental system, and on-demand streaming video to compensate for the decline in rentals from retail locations.

Blockbuster's closing is just one of several local retail changes underway on that stretch of East Boulevard. The Harris Teeter in Kenilworth Commons is in the midst of a major renovation and addition. And two new stores on East Boulevard across from the Blockbuster are now open as well: Modern Lighting and men's salon Shear Excellence.


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Wal-Mart on Independence Blvd. opens today

The new Wal-Mart on East Independence Boulevard opened today with a 7:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony that caps years of construction and brings a big retailer back to a largely empty stretch of expressway.

The 148,500 square-foot store is newly built, on the site of the former Amity Gardens Shopping Center, and will be open from 6 a.m. to midnight daily. The store will have a Subway restaurant, a portrait studio and Walmart Money Center, in addition to the merchandise and grocery departments. 

Wal-Mart says it will employ about 300 associates, and about 85 of those are filling new positions (the remainder are presumably transfers from the old Eastway Drive store). The average wage for a Wal-Mart associate in North Carolina is $12.39 an hour, Wal-Mart says.

The new store has a number of green features, Wal-Mart says, such as recycled cement in the flooring and skylights and LED bulbs to cut down on lighting energy.

“The layout of the store is easy to navigate, which will save our customers time as they shop for everyday necessities,” said store manager Rodney Hatley, in a statement.

And though the store will bring some life back to a largely-vacated portion of Independence Boulevard, the store move will leave another empty box in east Charlotte, at the retailer's former location on Eastway Drive, near Central Avenue. That's just a little bit more than 1 1/2 miles from shuttered Eastland Mall. No word yet on what's going in that space.


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New vintage shop pays tribute to the performing arts

The musical career of Judith Beverly-Craycraft (J.B. to those who know her) took her many places. But along the way, as she played principal viola in Richmond's symphony and played in Broadway productions, she accumulated a lot of cool, vintage clothes and accessories.


"When we moved from Richmond to Charlotte in the summer of 2000, we moved with like a dozen wardrobe boxes full of costumes and vintage clothing I'd been collecting for years," said J.B. "It had to go somewhere."

Many of those goods - an eclectic mix of 1950s prom dresses, Vietnam-era officers' military uniforms, Victorian-era "mustache cups" (specially designed cups for men with handlebar mustaches), antique straight razors and cigarette cases, 1920s flapper dresses, top hats, jewelry - are on sale now at J.B.'s new store, Backstage, at 2005 Central Ave.

"It's kind of a tribute to all performing arts - music, theater, dance," she said.

J.B. started selling some of her wares at A Hidden Treasure, a store in Monroe selling collectibles and antiques. Her music room and garage were still full of stuff, however. When she started playing with the Asheville Symphony about 3 1/2 years ago, her husband had a suggestion. "You go to Asheville two or three times a month, load up the car and get some of this stuff out of here," he told her.

So J.B. started selling wholesale to vintage shops in Asheville, and eventually met a shop owner and became her business partner. The store was doing well, J.B. said, until the owner sold the building to a developer and asked the tenants to leave in 30 days.

"I was very upset, needless to say," said J.B. But driving on Central Avenue the day after Thanksgiving, she saw a for lease sign in a storefront, and decided to take a plunge. "I called that number, and that very day he let us move right in," said J.B. She spent time redoing the floors, repainting the concrete outside and sprucing up the shop, and had Backstage's grand opening on New Year's day.

In addition to running the shop, J.B. is a "regular extra" in four orchestras, including the Charlotte Symphony. She loves music, but the schedule of a full-time performer - rehearsals daily at 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., loading up the bus at 7 a.m. and driving to performances all the time -  got to be taxing, J.B. said. Now, she plays in big symphony productions and fills in for musicians who call in sick.

Backstage is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 5 or 6ish ("If somebody's in there, we won't kick them out," she said).


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FROCK Shop lounge to open in Plaza-Midwood

A new boutique space featuring a mix of vintage and re-sale apparel and accessories is set to open Saturday, Feb. 4, in the Plaza-Midwood area.

The FROCK Shop plans to open a STYLE Lounge at 1200 Central Avenue, with a grand opening celebration planned from noon to 8 p.m. FROCK Shop, which launched in 2010, will still do trunk shows around the area.


The STYLE lounge location is in MoNA, the Museum of Neighborhood Art. The new shop will have a rooftop patio in the spring, along with wine and chocolate. The FROCK Shop also refurbishes and re-sells vintage goods under its own "Revival" label.