Inventory Store Closures

Words

It's with mixed emotions that we announce the closure of our shops in Vancouver and New York, as well as a narrowing of our online offering. It was a difficult decision, which we laboured over a lot last year, but we have chosen to move away from physical retail so that we can put all of our energy into the magazine and website. These aspects of our business are where we feel the true potential of Inventory lies, and because of this we want to give them the added attention they deserve. As a small team, spread over three countries, it’s often a challenge to achieve everything we want to, and our publication – in print and online – has now grown to a point where the time it requires of us is greater than ever.

It was almost five years ago that we opened our first shop in Vancouver, and nearly two since we expanded to our second location in New York, but in both instances it seems like much longer. We've grown as a retailer, a publication, and a brand in that time, and had the opportunity to meet and work with some wonderful people. We’re proud of the environments we created, the brands we brought together, and those we helped introduce to a wider audience.

Stepping away from retail isn't easy, but it's also liberating to be able to focus our efforts. We anticipate that the magazine and website will flourish, developing in new ways and at a rate that neither were able to in the past. It's certainly not the end; it's the beginning of a new chapter and we hope you'll be just as excited as we are to see what comes next.

Comments

[Nady Olive]

what a journey. gastown will never be the same.

[ND]

Specific Dates???

[Tg]

I will miss you, yet again another NY small store going. Soon it will just be a giant mall.

[Simon Roe]

ND: I'm afraid both shops have now closed but, for a limited time, you can still buy any remaining items from our online store – many of them at a discounted price.

[Rockabilly Rick]

All the best to you and your future projects

[Anon]

If the last issue of your magazine is anything to go by then that will be finished in no time as well. You've messed up big time!

[Josh]

I must say I'm devastated, I'm not from anywhere remotely close to either location but still it's so painful to witness great stores closing doors. Totally different philosophy behind brand, but I can't help think of the donuts (Bristol, UK) closure whereby they stated very similar reasoning - pretty sure I'm not alone on saying how whack that entity has become.. Don't follow suit! What will the world be like in another 5 years time?! I was counting on Inventory to buck the trend and stay open! Will you continue to supply some stock to DSM London?

[Casey]

Sad to hear. All the best in the future!

[Peter Barrett]

Has it been over six year since we saw a similar post from h(y)r collective !?
Keep up the good work and keep on growing !

[wlhntgds]

Sad news, I still can´t really believe what I was reading here. Thank you so much for this big inspiration and the work you put in, I´m looking forward to what´s coming up! All the best keep it up!

[Jon Eckleben]

say it ain't so, mr. roe! will you still be offering some apparel online? if so, do you know which ones at this time?

[jk]

I am very disappointed that it had to end this abruptly. You could have at least posted the news ahead of time so that your returning customers can take note and set a date to visit the store one last time? I think the real reason why the store had to close was because of attitude such as this. You act as if you are not running a retail business but a museum with velvet ropes. While it hurts me to see one of the best retailer for men's apparel is coming to an end, if you really have no clue how to run a retail, then perhaps the decision may be for the best. All that said, damn. Where the hell am I going shop in Vancouver now?

[Simon Roe]

The words of encouragement are very much appreciated, but we also empathise with those of you who are disappointed. There's no easy way to do things like this, however we genuinely believe that the long-term positives will outweigh the short-term negatives.

Josh: We will continue to have things at DSM in London, and hope to use this as a platform for some exciting projects in the future.

Jon: I'm afraid we're also moving away from stocking seasonal clothing, footwear and accessories online, but we would like to offer some special, perhaps more limited, pieces from time to time.

[Justin]

Will you continue to be a retailer online?

[Simon Roe]

Justin: As I mentioned to Jon, there will continue to be a shop aspect to the website, but our offering will become much, much narrower so we will not be an online retailer in the way that we have been.

[Nelson]

Simon: With the extremely eclectic yet refined style guide you have developed for us disappearing, how will we find specific pieces by companies such as the ones you carry(ied)?

[Simon Roe]

Nelson: Some of the brands we carried will now be tougher to get hold of, but in most cases the stores in our Featured Shops section should have something for you.