Poshh's annual party kicks off upscale boutique's holiday season

Posted on Mon, Nov 2, 2009 : 5:58 a.m.

Poshh's annual party kicks off upscale boutique's holiday season

By Janet Miller

Wendy Batiste-Johnson, CEO/Buyer for Poshh, is readying the upscale boutique for its Nov. 6 anniversary party that kicks off the shop's holiday season.

Wendy Batiste-Johnson doesn’t need Halloween or Thanksgiving to kick off her holiday season at Poshh, a high-fashion, upscale women’s boutique on East Liberty near State Street.
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She has an anniversary.

Each year since she opened in November 2001, Batiste-Johnson has held an anniversary party where she rolls out new inventory geared for the holidays and whips up interest in her designer-driven shop.

While her store has always been a magnet for University of Michigan students, the anniversary party has helped Poshh attract residents from Ann Arbor and Detroit’s suburbs. The move has worked. Since Poshh opened, Batiste-Johnson's clientele has shifted from about 90 percent students to about an even split, she said.

The Nov. 6 anniversary, which follows a Nov. 5 trunk show of MiH, a high-end label of denim from London new to the United States, will get the holiday excitement going, Batiste-Johnson said.

The anniversary includes live music, food, an open bar and the announcement of the winner for Project Poshh, a contest where a young woman is selected for a fashion makeover, photo shoot and appearance in Poshh advertisements.
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“The party draws so many people that it allows for a higher level of traffic when students do leave,” Batiste-Johnson said. “It draws so much attention, that it makes the holidays a piece of cake.”

Poshh sees two kinds of holiday traffic: Gifts and special occasion dresses. A highlight - Batiste-Johnson features form-fitting classics such as a $330 black, three-quarter length gown with a scooped jeweled neckline from design Bianca Nero for this holiday season.Â

She also has stocked up on cocktail dresses, jewelry and dress shoes. She advertises heavily in the metro Detroit area and draws shoppers from Oakland, Wayne and Washtenaw counties.
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For gifts, Batiste-Johnson increases her stock of LaMer Collections, a trendy line of double- and triple-wrap watches from designer Martine Schwartz, a U-M graduate. Schwartz first sold her watches to Poshh out of her dorm room when she was still a student. She later moved to California to run LaMer Collections, where celebrities have been seen wearing her time pieces, which have found space in fashion magazines. Affordable - they run between $68 to $75 - they are huge holiday sellers at Poshh, Batiste-Johnson said.Â

Holiday sales also include jewelry, accessories and gift cards.

The number of women’s boutiques that also huddle close to the Liberty and State Street corner - American Apparel, Orchid Lane, Urban Outfitters and now Pitaya - benefit from the proximity, making the blocks an apparel destination.

“We are each so different, but what is great about us all being here is that it draws a lot of people downtown," Batiste-Johnson said. "If we each stay true to ourselves, I think we’ll all be successful without affecting each other.”

Batiste-Johnson said she’s had to work to lose the image that her store caters only to thin coeds. Rather, her demographic is women between 20 and 55, up to size 12.Â Prices range from $20 for a piece of jewelry to more than $300 for some designer dresses and designer handbags.

Shoppers are moving toward more enduring styles and away from trends, Batiste-Johnson said. Skinny jeans are back.

Â “Because of the change in the economy, people are looking for more staple pieces for their closet. There’s more simplicity in denim. Eight years ago, you’d see an eagle patch on the butt of jeans. People are no longer investing in such adventurous style,” she said.

Customers are investing in basics, but with a twist, she said.Â

“Blazers are huge, but with a twist.” Three of the four black blazers featuring a hint of toile at the hem sold in one day, she said.

Â Batiste-Johnson said she didn’t see a drop in sales last holiday season, even after a fall that delivered nothing but bad economic news. A drop didn’t come until the summer, Batiste-Johnson said.Â

She’s unsure how that will play out for the holidays, although she reduced her buying for January and February, she said.Â

Â “People are still willing to invest in quality pieces," she said.