When Carol McCracken and daughter Renee McCracken started selling handbags online at Pinkmascara.com in 2002, big name designers weren’t hip to the Web.
“It was all very new for designers,” Carol McCraken said. “So we had a little bit of flack from the designers.”
Today, designers call to be sold on Pinkmascara.com, she said.
Early on, the mother and daughter team learned everything about Web marketing, including about pay-per-click advertising, showing up in searches and e-mail campaigns. Now someone else handles all that for them.
“We just don’t have the time to do that,” McCracken said.
In 2004, Pinkmascara.com opened a showroom, warehouse and office near The Lab in Costa Mesa. People can order online and pick up items at the showroom.
Around that time, the Irvine Spectrum Center called and invited Pink-mascara.com to open a store at the shopping center, McCracken said.
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Bag from Pinkmascara.com: designers balked at first |
“We didn’t go there,” she said. “We just didn’t feel it was our kind of customer.”
Trendy 17th Street in Costa Mesa was out because many of the stores there already carried the same bags as Pinkmascara.com.
So they waited.
“Woodbury seems perfect,” McCracken said.
Pink Mascara, a 1,700-square-foot store at Woodbury Town Center in Irvine, is set to open in November or December. Morgan Joseph, now assistant buyer, is set to run the store as manager.
The McCrackens were able to get a small business loan through the Small Business Administration. It took a lot of research on the Woodbury area. But it was well worth it, McCracken said.
“It gave me confidence as to the area,” she said.
The online store will stay.
The Irvine store is set to add bags from 15 designers, including Marc Jacobs and Luba J.
Pink Mascara has expanded its offerings to include shoes, accessories and other items. The store carries mostly Los Angeles-based brands. A lot of people still drive from OC to Los Angeles to find their fashions, she said.
Renee McCracken goes to the four big fashion shows a year,two in Los Angeles, two in New York,to find stuff.
McCracken said she enjoys working with her daughter.
“We’re very different and we each have very different talents,” she said.
Her daughter is more artsy, she said.
“I’m more operational,” she said. “She tells me what she wants to do and I make it happen.”
Pucci Exclusive
Emilio Pucci opened its first West Coast boutique on the second level near Nordstrom at South Coast Plaza. The store is an exclusive for South Coast.
‘Autotainment’
The Orange County Auto Show in Anaheim plans to debut only one car this year, the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640.
Unlike other auto shows focused on debuting cars,automakers will unveil eight cars at December’s LA Auto Show,the Orange County show seems to be taking more of an entertainment tack.
The Costa Mesa-based Orange County Automobile Dealers Association and the Southland Motor Car Dealers Association in Long Beach put on the show. Motor Trend Auto Shows Inc. produces the show for the dealer groups.
The popular Underground auto show,the flashier show under the main showroom floor,returns with custom rides from local auto clubs, celebrities and dealers. A slew of deejays are lined up to perform: DJ Lady Tribe, DJ Double J, DJ A-List, DJ Bakdraft and DJ Dimitri.
Dub magazine plans to show cars from Snoop Dogg and Warren G, among others. Barry’s Speed Shop’s Barry White and Chris Brown of TLC’s “Wrecks to Riches” are set to sign autographs on Saturday.
Foghat is on tap to play at the auto show. You heard me. The 1970s rock band, best known for “Fool for the City” and “Slow Ride,” is scheduled to perform alongside the cars on Oct. 6.
Some of the concept vehicles that will be on display include: Chevrolet Camaro, Chrysler Akino, Mitsubishi Eclipse Ralliart and the Street Raider, Hyundai HCD9 Talus, Dodge Challenger and Hornet.
The Camaro, out of production for four years, may be one of the most anticipated cars. The 1960s-inspired Camaro is slated to hit dealer showrooms in 2009.
Earlier this year, the auto show changed its name and moved its show date to run Oct. 4 to 8.
Luxury will be a focus at the show, as well as alternative fuel vehicles. For the first time, the show will feature the J.D. Power and Associates luxury roundtable. The half-day symposium on Wednesday will discuss OC’s luxury lifestyles and demographics. Mark McNabb, vice president of Mercedes-Benz and Henrik Fisker of Fisker Coachbuild LLC will be on hand.
Among the “green” autos on display: the Toyota Camry Hybrid, Lexus GS Hybrid, Saturn Vue Green Line and the Nissan Altima Hybrid. Smaller, fuel-efficient autos will be on display such as the Toyota Yaris and the Honda Fit.
