Hi guys (and gals), I'm toying with the idea of moving from my country home to a more metro area to open a men's underwear and accessories store.
Just wondering what you guys put under those jeans and slacks. Feel free to be specific about brands, styles, etc.
Also, I'd love to hear from you what's hot in the jeans market right now among the gay population as I'd like to carry a line or two.
As you might imagine, a store front location for men's underwear is going to be 85-90% aimed at gay men and the rest women buying for their straight partners, so that's why I came here to ask.
Lastly, how likely would you be to go in to a street level store with window front views and buy yourself underwear from mild to wild. I'm in the USA and have recently traveled to Europe where there seem to be far fewer hangups, so some feedback from U.S. guys would be good too.
Thanks!
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I'm not the best guy to ask about what's hot, but I can truthfully say I wouldn't have any hangups about shopping there. Good luck!
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sorry i buy under ware online, no time to goto a store front. undergear.com, i like their web site because they have several views of the product, they would be even better if they also had active customer reviews. They also send me a hard copy catalog which i never looked at once, must be expensive for them. This is your competition, they are good at what they do.
I do spend more than expected money here but buy the medium priced stuff. Sounds dorky but first i buy one pair of underware that looks nice. If all is good I buy about ten pairs of the same brand, type, color and i am done. Maybe i would buy different but the chance of getting something that is not to my liking is high. If the package is open no chance of a return, even the single pkg is expensive, the return process is difficult. I dont buy t-shirts the same way. For general clothing I buy designer labels but frequent consignment shops and its a recession so they have lots of nice stock.
-get an ebay on line store profitable than invest in your own web site, than the store front
-keep the name simple, acceptable, easy to rember, have several business
-have the online "feel" the customers will not be hassled if they shop at your virtual store
-sox, ties, bow ties would work on line but the plain white t-shirt for the hood... not as well
-augment your virtual and brick and mortar shop with consignment high end designer clothing
-get a name for accurately shipping same day like newegg.com
-if they want, communication is everything for repeat brick and mortar customers. if the gay repeat customer is looking for a pair of consignment Prada lite brown shoes text him with a pic. Let his know his personal information will not wind up in a data base but kept locally. Have your sales peeps keep a log of who buys what and who is their husband or wife.
-have a few online business all with different names, for example sell sex toys, lube and etc and get a name for your web site that you are no hassle and ship accurate fast.
-be visible at lgbt events (pride)
-location location, location. Your shop must be located in the gay bro.
You MUST sell products and services that cant be done on line if you have a brick and mortar store front. In either case you can mix the two up to max the benefits of each one. Its a good time to invest in real estate and rents are high now. Get a store front that has a couple of apartments and rent these out now.
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While american media outlets are WAY behind when it comes to advertising underwear, i can tell you from VAST EXPERIENCE that the gay men in the USA LOVE THEIR SEXY UNDERWEAR! Look at H&M's release of David Beckham's line - it was amazing. The biggest problem is that there are very few places that sell the great lines like Papi, Baskit, Unico, etc. JUST KNOW THIS! We've been buying our sexy underwear online for years now because there are few places that sell the good lines (again, we're not talking about 2xist, CK, etc), so you have to watch your prices. There's a small gay store here in Tampa, FL that sell Unico underwear for $39! We can buy the same pair online for $29 - so while gay men in the US would LOVE the convenience of finding their favorite underwear locally - they won't pay 30% more for that convenience.
My only other suggestion to you would be to make sure that you add lower-priced accessories ! Like what is sold on 10percent dot com!
Good luck on your new business
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Pellaz: I too buy most of my underwear online and having recently been to places where I can actually touch and feel the fabric of what I was planning to purchase was invaluable to me. I'm very adventurous in the underwear department and like to try new stuff all the time. I have been in business successfully in a few different fields and understand where you are coming from about keeping it online. I am investigating that aspect of things too, but feel that the area I am targeting would be ideal and the offering of some clothing and accessories would also fill a void in the area and get the jump on potential competition. Socks, shirts, jeans etc were already in the mix for me. I also have an inroad to the european market through a friend which is where my edge over the online availability would be. Not that you can't get stuff from europe, but it would end up costing less without having to ship to the consumer overseas.
Thank you for your extensive input and great suggestions. I truly appreciate it.
Bob: I know exactly what you mean about pricing. It's the biggest hurdle in the business plan. Thanks for dropping some brand names though, and I agree about your comments about 2xist, CK etc, and they're not what I'm after (though may end up in the store because of brand recognition). Thank you as well for the input.
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... I buy the cheap five boxers to a pack at Target/Walmart. Like once every few years. Underwear is really not big for me, and I tend to go commando in the summer. So I guess watch out for the cheapos like me. Just make sure there is going to be enough demand to warrant a move and change of business.
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Yeah, I buy a five pack at Walmart or Target, too. :tongue:
It's underwear. I usually buy Hanes or the store brand, which ever pack has the most navy or black.
I tend to wear stuff until it has holes or gets so soft I don't want to part with it. 
I just make sure the pair I have on for a date isn't in too bad of shape. :biggrin:
I really dislike shopping for clothes and I'm not into brands.
I guess I should turn in my gay card. :redface:
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floral thong:biggrin: lol joking
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I love underwear... might have a fetish :p
In South Africa there isn't the kind of selection you guys have, but here is what I have:
Brands: D&G, Diesel, Armani, CKs (have about 5 pairs of Steels) and a South African brand called Bonewear
Style: All are the short legged boxer brief kind
Color: White, blue and black (but only because that is what's available)
On the shop issue, I'd definitely go in! We only have the Bonewear store and it's busy! However I hear there was a store that imported stuff like Ausiebumm, Baskit, 2Xist etc but they went out of business 
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But all of the best and hope you can soon open up a new location near me 
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Underwear
