First the bad news: when I asked Lisa Brock, owner of Zoe boutique, about the fashion must-haves for this fall, she burst out laughing and wondered aloud, "Do we have any left!?" Now the good news: the expansion of Princeton's trendy boutique this winter should spare future shoppers the fear of missing out on the new line of Paper Denims or that Juicy sweatshirt.
Since Zoë débuted in 1995, the store has offered the fashion-forward of Princeton an alternative to J.Crew and Ann Taylor. "We carry Miu Miu, Prada Sport, Matthew Williamson, Moschino, Theory, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Nanette Lepore, Juicy, Diane von Furstenburg, Pucci, Blue Marine, Vince," Brock said.
Expect even more options when Zoë moves into its new and improved home. "We've totally outgrown this space," Brock said of her current site. "We've been trying to expand for two years."
The 4000 square-foot location will allow Brock to combine her clothes store and shoe store (Zoë Shoes) under one roof, stock even more brands and merchandise more effectively. Although the store currently caters to a female clientele, who Brock described as being "anywhere from a girl, 16 or 17, to a women in her mid-50s," starting this fall Zoë will also house a men's section. The clothes will be "very weekend-wear, very casual," Brock said. "A lot of button down shirts, a lot of denim for men, Lacoste polo shirts, cashmere sweaters, a little bit of footwear." Having undergone a complete renovation, Brock said her boutique "will have kind of an industrial feel, definitely not mass produced."
Of course, there's a price tag attached. Brock admitted that rent in Palmer Square is "very high. They [Palmer Square Management] take 6 percent of sales and charge a base rent. It's based on your sales per square foot." This may help to account for the clothes' price tags, which aren't exactly student friendly. Brock said, "Prices range from $49 for a t-shirt up to $2000 to $2500 for a coat or dress." And despite the University's contribution to business, your U-Store membership won't do you any good. "Students make up probably 15 percent of our business," Brock explained, "and the University draws a lot of parents, for football games, functions, students interviewing, checking out the campus, so on that end of it, probably another 15 to 20 percent."
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