Where Fashion Meets Function
New apparel concept from The Finish Line, Inc. caters to the active woman.
Susan Fishman

The first Paiva store opened in April in Barton Creek Square in Austin, Texas.

“We’ve been thinking about the concept for about 2 years and did a lot of research and development,” notes Alan Cohen, CEO and chairman of The Finish Line, Inc. “We reached the conclusion that this was an emerging customer who was looking for product that was just starting to become more available, and that there was nobody out there who was servicing the customer the way we felt she needed to be serviced.”

The Paiva customer is a 25 to 40-year-old woman who exercises at least once a week and has a higher household income of $80,000 and above. The store’s merchandise selection will meet the needs of both fashion and function for this active woman, says Cohen.

“We’re going to focus on representing the brand — both the athletic brand and some of the more fashion brands. This is truly going to be a merger of athletic function and fashion.”

The multi-branded stores will be made up of 60 percent apparel, 10 percent accessories and 30 percent footwear. The store provides a unique selection, carrying a mix of product designed for various athletic activities, such as running, yoga, tennis, swimming and more. Paiva focuses on women with a fast-paced lifestyle with fashion designs that transition smoothly from an athletic workout to everyday activities. Women will find premium collections, such as Nike, Adidas, Stella McCartney, Filativa, Mari Dade, Asics, Brooks, Nuala, Prana, Biella, Ellesse, Marika, OMgirl, Three Dots, Moving Comfort, Speedo, Under Armour and more. The stores also carry exclusive Paiva Essentials.

Paiva’s multi-branded offerings, as well as its footwear salon, are what set the store apart from competitors like Lucy, which has much smaller stores and is more private labeled. Other competitors include higher-end department stores, like Nordstrom, and the big box sporting goods stores, thought it’s “not the kind of environment this consumer wants to go into,” Cohen notes.

Paiva’s store design embodies the essence of the brand, exuding energy through the materials, layout and design itself. Designed by Austin, Texas-based Mann & Mann (the designer for many Finish Line and Man Alive stores), the store conveys a sense of light and energy with soft, exquisite materials, bright lighting and a spacious shopping environment. Reaching approximately 4,000 square feet, the Paiva stores are clean, inviting and comfortable with very upscale, refined fixtures throughout the space.

The first group of stores started with the April opening of the Barton Creek Square location in Austin, Texas. Following were four additional locations, including Natick Mall, close to the Boston metro area; Westfield Annapolis in Maryland; Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, and Bellevue Square in Seattle.

“We think the concept will work in every part of the country,” says Cohen, “and we’ve located what we think are at least 200 locations throughout the country, including major malls — especially the better or higher-end malls — certain lifestyle centers, and some street locations.”

Paiva became a multi-channel company with the first store opening. The Paiva Web site, paiva.com, was online at just about the same time as the Barton Creek Square opening, as was the circulation of the Paiva catalog.