S02.E09: Courage.b

[Tara Ariano]

Apparently that title is NOT a typo!

 

A family-run clothing retailer receives assistance.

[Primetimer]

And other questions about The Profit's midseason premiere.

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[Rickster]

You could add to the questions, how do you redesign several product lines and contract to get them manufactured presumably offshore in 8 weeks?

(Actually my guess is they used local NY high cost manufacturing to make just enough to stock the Greenwich store shelves)

[raiderred1]

I usually dig this show but I thought this episode was boring and quite fake. Marcus, c'mon with tear running down your face. I wonder how many takes that took? What does Marcus know about fashion? Those bags were hideous that he just floved. Im no fashion maven so maybe I am way off.

[sugarbaker design]

Fashion isn't my bailiwick so this episode sure didn't thrill me, but I did enjoy before and after of the store.  The before was so chaotic and messy while the after was so inviting and comfortable.  I did love it when Marcus made sure the mother and sister got some equity in the business.

[attica]

I would have liked a little drilling down into the re-merchandising. A nod to how to go about pattern changing, how to 'improve fit', etc. I do think the quilted bag line is a good signature for them. It's different enough from Chanel as to not look like a knockoff, and it's lighter than the other satchels I see carried about. 

 

Dusters in general are a good idea; layery without bulk. I'd go on a where-are-the-freaking-pockets rampage, but perhaps the courage b. customer doesn't so much care about that.

 

Planograms are a super good idea, even if you only have one location. It lets floor staff focus on the customers rather than arranging things. I loved doing them for the minute and a half I was in retail. Also, the margin of making your own stuff is pretty appealing: the best I could count on buying other labels was the standard keystone markup: 50%+1. (Again: only a minute and a half, and a looooooong time ago. Maybe margins are different now.)

 

After reading the Inc article which told us that Marcus was adopted as a boy, it didn't surprise me that he empathized with Nicholas's family trauma.

 

Tangent: Marcus was at the Crumbs reopening yesterday here in town. Lines out the door, according to the local press. Sugar and celebrity: a can't lose!

[camom]

Overall, one of the more pleasant episodes.  A little family drama, but the people were willing to work and open to change for the most part.   I thought for sure he was going to make them close the Manhattan store that pays $28,000 a month for rent.  But since they still have some time on their lease, maybe they will re-evaluate when the lease comes due.

[Rickster]

 

Tangent: Marcus was at the Crumbs reopening yesterday here in town. Lines out the door, according to the local press. Sugar and celebrity: a can't lose!

Fun Fact: one of the first wave of Crumbs stores planned to re-open is about 2 blocks from the Courage store in Greenwich. So Marcus might have been moonlighting from his day job on this one.

[JasminePhyllisia]

Wow, how much did they pay those overly enthusiastic customers at the end? And not a fan of the crying, it reminds me of a similar show called The Pitch which I grew to hate because no episode was complete unless somebody cried, please tell me this show is not going down that route.

More real business turnaround case studies and less family drama and dysfunction is what I'd like to see so I'll continue to watch and just ff through the staged, scripted craziness.

[mojito]

 

Overall, one of the more pleasant episodes.  A little family drama, but the people were willing to work and open to change for the most part.   I thought for sure he was going to make them close the Manhattan store that pays $28,000 a month for rent.  But since they still have some time on their lease, maybe they will re-evaluate when the lease comes due.

I expected pushback from the mother and there wasn't any. I guess she was ready to step back a little and understood that she might be growing stale (it happens with creative types; few people can sustain their success for years and years). There's almost always an unsung hero in these episodes, isn't there? The person in the background who is the steady eddy and has ideas that don't get acknowledged. In all the episodes, we usually know who reached out to Marcus. I guess all three family members wanted his help because he was welcomed so quickly. I'm glad that Marcus backed off his 50% and gave the family majority ownership.

[Lola16]

Fun Fact: one of the first wave of Crumbs stores planned to re-open is about 2 blocks from the Courage store in Greenwich. So Marcus might have been moonlighting from his day job on this one.

Interesting.  I was driving past it a week and a half ago and saw Crumbs was still closed.  Will keep an eye out for it.

[Lola16]

I drive past the Greenwich Crumbs location fairly often but haven't had a chance to drop in yet.  From the street, it looks closed but maybe it's just really dark.  I'll try to make an effort next time.

 

I popped into Courage B this week.  Some really nice stuff.  Prices are high even on sale.  I almost never pay full price on clothes etc, prefer to pay at least 1/2 of retail having learned the mark-up in school.  Even with 40% off, I wasn't tempted.  They did have the signature bags plus some really cool laser cut leather totes in a variety of colors. The clothes were hit and miss.  Some of the fabrics were cheap and didn't feel nice or premium.  The jewelry was nothing special and was really ordinary.  Didn't see anyone from the show.  Sales help was nice, a little too attentive and chatty but I'm guessing she was really bored and just happy someone popped in.  The store front is high up on the avenue so I don't think they get too much browsing traffic.  If they could afford to move a block down, they'd do so much better but the rents there are very high.  Hope overall they are doing well.

[SyncMaster]

I saw this rerun tonight and I didn't understand why Nicolas, before the investment from Marcus, owned 100% of the company while Noemie and Stephanie had no equity.  I didn't quite catch that explanation.  I liked that the deal from Marcus gave Noemie and Stephanie an owner's stake in the company.

 

I can certainly understand being frustrated with another human, even a parent, but Nicolas's behavior was way, WAY out of line.  It wasn't a single instance of him being upset but repeated instances of him yelling at his mother even though both children were displeased with some of the things she did--like ordering and giving the okay for a product which she later forgot about.