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Two retail shops carrying youthful and fashionable clothes have recently opened on Lincoln Avenue. They are in sharp contrast to the more conservative clothing stores that characterize the avenue, but the new stores have been successful among all age groups.
Named after the 1968 Jane Fonda film, Barbarella has a retro-inspired décor. The 4,000-square-foot building is much more than just a clothing store—it is also a make-up studio and hair salon.
After working in San Francisco for 15 years and deciding to move to the South Bay nine years ago, Willow Glen was one of the first areas owner Rebecca Sell wanted to open a shop. But the area "wasn't quite as busy" as she wanted, so she started a business in Los Gatos. She was so successful with Hers, which carried trendy, sophisticated clothing, she opened another Los Gatos shop, Kiss and Make-up to focus on make-up application and retail cosmetics.
She closed Hers in order to open Barbarella, 1133 Lincoln Ave., on Sept. 21. Barbarella carries clothing by "young, up-and-coming designers" based out of Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York, Sell says. It also has accessories, shoes, lingerie and maternity clothes.
"Lots of clients complain about the lack of maternity clothes, and I think there's a real baby boom right now, so I'm trying to fill that need," Sell says. "The maternity clothes are more flattering than most because they're either sheer, low-cut or more fitted. There are no sweat suits or anything dowdy. These maternity clothes are a little zippier."
She is surprised and pleased that her make-up clientele, who range in age from 13 to 70, have liked her clothing selection, she says.
The make-up services offered include application, lessons, consultation and special occasion application. She and her son are also trained in eyebrow sculpting, tinting and eyelash tinting and permanent curls.
"Most women just want the easiest, most foolproof way to apply the minimum amount of makeup," says Sell, who has worked on runway models and film actors but enjoys doing 'real people.' "People just want to know what they're doing wrong. Makeup should bring more sparkle to your eyes and should make the skin look clear. The cosmetic lines we carry are long lasting, easy to work with and give the look of professional application."
Barbarella has a similar motif to Sell's 400-square-foot shop in Los Gatos, Kiss and Make-up. The walls are painted pink in both, and since the Los Gatos shop moved into a cigar shop's location five years ago, Barbarella uses some of the cigar lockers for cosmetics storage.
So far two fashion shows to model clothing, hair and make-up have been held, helping to introduce the shop to local residents and merchants in Willow Glen. Another show is scheduled for the spring. Sell is glad her new Willow Glen store can accommodate the large-scale fashion shows and runways. In the past she had to hold her events at art galleries and restaurants.
For Barbarella's Dec. 5 grand opening she held a fashion show called "Gentlemen Only, Shake and Not Stirred." Nine women modeled Barbarella's clothing and male guests chose gift packages for their significant others. They chose Christmas presents of lingerie, body care packages, makeup brush sets, fragrances, clothing and scarves. Barbarella staff wrapped the gifts.
"It was nice because they didn't want to just get gift certificates; they wanted their girlfriends and wives to think they put thought into their gift," Sell says.
Right up the street at 1302 Lincoln Ave., Gypsy Girlz also has a "modern, eclectic, New Age" look to its merchandise. Much of the clothing is purple, burgundy and blue.
"It is kind of trendy and caters to young women, but more mature women buy the shawls, purses and costume jewelry," says owner Hanh Luong, 23. "So far we have had positive feedback from people who come in here who live or work in the area."
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Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Bohemian Lines: With a collection that ranges from unique clothing to shawls, purses and scarves, Gypsy Girlz has a trendy line that appeals to teens and adults. During the holidays the Hume family—(from left) Stephanie, 15, Brittany, 11, and mother Yvonne browsed the store for gifts.
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Luong opened the shop on Nov. 6. She used to visit Willow Glen and likes the area, she says. The store used to be a golf shop.
"A lot of women said Willow Glen needed a store like this," says Hanh's sister, Vi Luong, 20, who works in the shop. "People who visit our store for the first time say they are really surprised at how different and unique the merchandise is that we carry."
Most of the store's clothing has an Indian and Asian influence, Hanh says. She imports clothing from India and also selects Bohemian styles from the fashion district in Los Angeles. The store carries skirts, pants, blouses and accessories that are "reasonably priced," Vi says.
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Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Eclectic Extras: Gypsy Girlz owner Hanh Luong has clothes that cater to mature and young women, offering everything from costume jewelry to slinky tanks.
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The store has been so busy Hanh recently went to Los Angeles to restock merchandise. In just one week they sold about 30 scarves, Vi says.
Hanh's interest in this unique fashion style stems from her love of belly dancing, Vi says.
Hanh also runs Giza, a San Jose hookah lounge—where people can choose from 30 flavors of tobacco to smoke in pipes imported from the Middle East and watch belly dancers.
"My first impression is that the clothes are interesting," says Cathy Vieira, a Willow Glen resident. "I'd probably get something here for my younger girlfriends at work, but it's not my style; I think I'm too old."
For more information about Barbarella, 1133 Lincoln Ave., call 408.947.7255. Gypsy Girlz is located at 1302 Lincoln Ave., #102.
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Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer