Stores We Love: West End Select Shop
A couple of weeks ago West End Select Shop opened its doors, and it opened to a packed house full of stylish people ready to buy.
Owned and operated by Portland native Andi Bakos, West End Select Shop was conceived while living and working as a trend scout in Tokyo, Japan. The name “Select Shop” is a Japanese term for a multi-brand store, and the shop is heavily inspired by Japanese retail experiences and a high level of customer care. The store itself was designed in partnership with Matthew Philip Williams, an up-and-coming Portland object and furniture designer.
The brands offered cover the globe, including Nanushka (Budapest), KowTow (New Zealand), Black Crane (Tokyo/LA), Cav Empt (Tokyo), Oform (The Netherlands), and Myers Collective (Los Angeles).
If you are in the market for some basics, West End Select Shop has you covered in that department as well. They have created a “Vintage Basics” program, which customizes old Levi’s, army jackets, and grey sweatshirts. These items are carefully sourced and then processed in a Los Angeles-based “wash house,” where a silicone wash is applied and the garments are hand-distressed to give a soft and silky finish.
To give our readers more insight into the new store, we asked Andi Bakos a few questions:
Portland Mercury: First, give us a little background. I know you have done many different things in the 15 years you have been working in fashion. What prompted the decision to open your own shop?
Andi Bakos: I have wanted to open a store in Portland for about seven years, but the timing was never right until now. I'm glad that I took as long as I did because it gave me a chance to gather inspiration and experience, and honestly build up the nerve to do it. I was also moving around a lot. I was in L.A., then Amsterdam, then back in Portland for a bit, and then Tokyo, and now that I'm back I feel more settled and ready to dig deeper into Portland. For the past several years I've been working as a trend scout for brands like Nordstroms and Nike. It's given me a chance to obsessively focus on women's style, trend cycles, and shopping habits. Although I feel very informed, researching trends has also made me feel sort of overexposed. It's pushed me back into a place where I dig deep for inspiration that comes from within, all the while remaining informed about what's out there. The lesson from studying trends, for me, was that the only thing that matters about fashion is: Does it move you? Does it inspire you? Does it excite you? Then it's cool. Who cares if it's a trend or not? That's really why I wanted to have a store, to share the things I've found all over the world that get me excited!
What are some of the challenges you have encountered getting this new venture off the ground? Anything that was surprisingly easier than you thought?
Finding a retail space was really difficult. I knew I wanted to be close to the Ace Hotel and near other retail. I wanted good light and a beautiful but small space. This is almost impossible to find in the area and it took me almost a year to find my beautiful jewel-box of a space. It was a miracle, I tell you. Besides real estate, the most difficult hurdle was getting past how scary it is to open a store. There is so much to fear, at least I thought so. Fear of the unknown I guess. What really helped me was reaching out to a friend for mentorship. I think most successful people have a mentor, and I highly recommend this concept to anyone doing anything at any time. My friend Jill Bradshaw was in the process of building her new retail venture in Austin (Friends & Neighbors) and I flew out to see her and help her work on the space. Together we tiled bathroom floors and painted walls, and at night she would help me with my business plan and store concepts. Seeing her just DO IT made me feel brave enough to finally go after my own dream.
Nothing about this process has been easy, but that doesn't mean I haven't enjoyed it. Even when it feels on the brink of overwhelming, I'm still so pleased to be doing what I love.
Who is your customer? What does she do for a living, do on her days off, and where can you find her when she goes out at night?
I'm still really learning about who my customer is. So far there have been a variety of women (and even some men) who have responded to the shop. The greatest compliment is when people say, "This is really different." "Different" is my favorite word in the English language, to me it's the same as saying "special" or "unique." I would say the style of my shop is more European influenced—sort of counter to the classic Portland "American Heritage" look. That said, I like to think I have something for everyone.
Anything exciting happening with the store in the near future and/or for the upcoming holiday shopping season?
We have a lot of events happening in the next few months. Soon we're hosting a trunk show for Portland brand Older Brother, (and) in December we're hosting a launch party for a new beauty brand called TNT Color Lab, and also another trunk show for our super-popular bag line ARA. We're participating in this year's Little Boxes shopping event, as well as the Ace Hotel "Stick It To The Man" promotion. Follow our Facebook/Instagram for event updates.
