Threadcrawl

In 2012, I noticed that a vast number of brick and mortar stores in Los Angeles were shuttering. This was the case throughout the entire county. Rather than sit on the sidelines while I watched some of my favorite stores close forever, I decided to act. It struck me that it might make sense to take the concept of a “bar crawl” and apply that to clothing stores. Threadcrawl was born! More than 175 stores participated, including: Alice & Olivia, Theory, Nars, New Era, Rebecca Minkoff, Kin, Alternative Apparel, Kelly Wearstler and so many others. Fashion Enthusiasts were able to purchase a ticket for $17 and get exclusive access to deep discounts, ranging from 20% - 75% off retail with no limit.

In the end, Threadcrawl remains my most spectacular failure and one of the greatest lessons. I assumed incorrectly that the store owners and corporations would take it upon themselves to educate their store employees about the week long event. Many of them did not. I also made the mistake of starting off too big, with more than 175 stores in dozens of locations around Los Angeles Country participating. If I had started smaller, in a single geographic area, Threadcrawl would have been a roaring success. I sometimes consider bringing this idea back. At the end of the day though, I just have too many exciting things that are taking stop priority for me these days. Will I ever bring Threadcrawl back. We shall see!