American Apparel, 610 Harden Street: Early Feb 2011 13 comments
American Apparel was a clothes store on Harden Street, next to the old Hiller Hardware. I gather that it served the young, hip, crowd, which is, um, not me.
In fact, for years, I didn't even know where the store was, just that it had a series of mildly risque ads on the back page of the local alternative weekly, The Free Times. These were constant fodder for the paper's Rant & Rave feature, as here, for instance.
When I went by on Saturday 5 Feb, there was still music playing from the store's door speakers, and two guys hanging around like they were supposed to be loading stuff out of there but couldn't get inside.
Doing a little googling turns of the surprising (to me) fact that American Apparel (AMEX: APP) is the largest clothing manufacturer in the United States.. They also seem to have had a good bit of financial trouble in their retail arm lately, as detailed in this WSJ piece and this "Open Market" piece (which also has an image of an ad they could never have run in Columbia..)
The company's web site goes even farther with ads -- DEFINITELY NSFW!
(Hat tip to commenter Jennifer)
UPDATE 12 September 2011 -- The follow-on operation, Urban Thread & More is open, and apparently has been at least since 16 April 2011:
13 Responses to 'American Apparel, 610 Harden Street: Early Feb 2011'
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Dustin
7 Feb 11 at 10:19 am
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I'm not really in the market for new clothes but I hate to hear that that a sweatshop free place has folded. Andy Rooney asked in a segment about the Dubai ports a few years back "What's the matter with making things in our own country?" and I agree with him on that...I've actually spent a few bucks more in a couple of cases just to purchase something made in USA...
Andrew
7 Feb 11 at 8:26 pm
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I heard that this MAY become an Apple Store, if so, I'll be very happy.
Brandon
2 Mar 11 at 8:08 pm
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An Apple Store in 5 Points????? That place would get robbed once a day
Michael
3 Mar 11 at 12:24 am
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we'll see...I'd like to see Apple here in Columbia. I got to visit the Apple store in Chicago and really enjoyed it. I'd hear the national news outlets profiling the Apple Store in NYC and LA and wonder "what about Chicago?" as a result
Andrew
3 Mar 11 at 12:47 am
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Don't get me wrong, I wish Apple would come here as well. The only place, in my opinion, that would seem to work is Columbiana mall.
Michael
3 Mar 11 at 9:34 am
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I bought one shirt from there and it fell apart. I was so excited when I heard it was made in America, but the quality soured me on the store.
Mr Bill
3 Mar 11 at 11:35 am
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Apple finally opened their first South Carolina store I believe at Haywood Mall in Greenville last year. It's very nice store they have up there, and I think there might be one in Charleston too. Columbiana would be the most ideal location for an Apple store.
@Mr. Bill heh interesting tale there considering American Apparel has been generally regarded to be more high-end.
Dustin
3 Mar 11 at 2:02 pm
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I wouldn't mind seeing Apple at Columbiana Centre but am not sure where they'd go.
There's more room at Dutch Square or Richland Malls but those locations seem less viable for what they're after (Dutch Square especially)
Andrew
3 Mar 11 at 10:38 pm
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As far as I know, the Columbiana Spinnaker's space is still open, as is Tweeter..
ted
3 Mar 11 at 10:59 pm
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yup...I'd actually like to see TGI Friday's at the former Spinnaker's. I'm surprised no one has set up shop there yet.
Andrew
4 Mar 11 at 1:17 am
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American Apparel is one of the few companies that makes it all in America ( and even has stores over seas). You'd think with the current crisis, we'd be trying to support the cause. Not cheering for another Apple store, which loves to export it's jobs. I love Apple as much as the next guy, but Hipster or not, American Apparel is great for our economy. Apple is shipping majority of the work to foreign countries and is taking a turn for the worse.
Byan
15 Mar 11 at 5:26 am
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I miss their ads on the back of Freet Times. Now I'm going to have to run to the convenience store for Barely Legal.
;-)
tonkatoy
13 Jan 12 at 12:53 pm
Too bad they are in trouble, they have some trendy clothes and plus they are sweatshop free. n