L.L. Bean, the eminent Maine outfitter whose catalog has sold tents, fishing tackle and flannel shirts to generations of hunters, fishermen and weekend warriors, will open its first store in Pittsburgh at 9 a.m. Friday.
The first thing visitors are likely to notice is the 10-foot sculpture of the iconic L.L. Bean boot outside the two-story store.
The waterproof, lace-up boot, known as the Maine Hunting Shoe, was the first product developed by the store's founder, Leon Leonwood Bean, in 1912.
The Ross Park Mall store is the only location other than the flagship store in Freeport, Maine, to get the boot, says Laurie Brooks, senior public-relations representative.
"When we designed the prototype store, the design called for a Bean boot sculpture to be this eye-catching display in front of the store," she says. "For various reasons, mostly because of zoning or restrictions around the entrance, it just didn't work (for other stores). But this location at Ross Park Mall was optimal."
The Pittsburgh store will sell almost everything that can be found in an L.L. Bean catalog, including clothing, shoes and gear from its five core activities -- hiking, biking, boating, camping and fishing. It also sells snowshoes and cross-country skis. Eighty percent of the merchandise is L.L. Bean's label, with additional activewear by Brooks and SportHill.
The airy interior of the store, which is roughly 30,000 square feet, features blond wood surfaces trimmed with sage green. Shiny aluminum snowshoes cluster on racks; multicolored flies and fishing lures are arranged in open boxes that look like ice-cube trays. In one corner, hanging kayaks seem to be in a vertical race up the side of the wall. In another, racks of mountain, road and "comfort" bikes beckon to parents and children as well as competitive athletes.
A key part of L.L. Bean's philosophy is its Outdoor Discovery School clinics for customers interested in learning more about fishing, camping and other activities. Classes include Intro to GPS, Fly Selection and Selecting Accessories for a Day Hike. Retail district manager Mark Sevitsky says they want to reach beyond the hard-core circle of fishermen, campers and kayakers to help families discover the outdoors. For example, they might visit the Ross Park Mall store to learn how to use snowshoes.
"Really, from a design standpoint and experience standpoint, we set ourselves apart by offering the opportunity to participate in outdoor activities," he says.
"It really is in line with our core values of preserving our outdoor heritage and making the outdoors accessible for families."
At a recent training session at the store, Gore-Tex associate Nancy Goodridge instructed the staff on the water-repellent properties of Gore-Tex, a material used in many L.L. Bean jackets and boots. She clamped a swatch of Gore-Tex in a small device known as a Sutter Tester to force moisture against the membrane. She then passed it around to demonstrate that it still was dry, even though it felt cold.
The privately held company -- which opened its first out-of-state retail store in 2000 in Tysons Corner, Va. -- chose Pittsburgh after an analyses of its database confirmed that the area had a strong customer base, Brooks says. Stores also need to be in an area that is close to outdoor activities, she says.
The Pittsburgh store, which will employ about 200, is one of three L.L. Bean locations opening in the United States this year. The other two will be in the Chicago area. The company plans to open three more stores next year, in spite of the anemic economy, Brooks says.
"It's affecting us as well," she says. "We are a company that's been around for 96 years. We've weathered economic ups and downs. We'll weather this as well."
The decision to open brick-and-mortar stores is driven by Internet sales surpassing catalog sales, Brooks says. In the future, L.L. Bean catalogs will have fewer pages, she says.
Customers like to "touch and feel" the merchandise, Brooks says. They also can use the stores to return items purchased on the Internet. If the store doesn't have a certain item in stock, customers can order it through an internet kiosk at the Ross Park Mall store.
"The business is evolving," she says. "The catalog business as we know it is changing."
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