Man Alive Crosses Finish Line
Fashion retailer Man Alive merges with Finish Line to set new pace for growth.

In the hip-hop and rap inspired retail world, Man Alive is no sleeper. Recently acquired by footwear retailer Finish Line, the fashion retailer is seeking growth opportunities in regional malls throughout the country, leveraging Finish Line's resources and expanding the chain at a faster pace than it could do independently.

Man Alive started as a men's and ladies' apparel store in a small strip center in Benton Harbor, Michigan, in the 1960s. The company opened its first mall location in 1980 and has continued to expand, reaching a current 37 locations, mainly in malls. Located in nine states, primarily in the Midwest — Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, Illinois, Maryland, Virginia and Georgia — the Indianapolis-based company is aggressively seeking additional locations in regional enclosed shopping centers throughout the nation.

Initially, Man Alive has 10 to 15 new stores planned for 2005. The chain is considering more lifestyle centers, but is currently focused on regional malls where its customer is most apt to shop, socialize and be seen. Prior to the merger with Finish Line, the company has identified its target geographic market as anything east of the Mississippi and is branching from the Midwest into states like Georgia with four stores and into Virginia with one existing store and a second one under construction.

Man Alive's men's and ladies' apparel, shoes and accessory mix includes premier hip-hop and rap inspired brands and fashions from name brand designers like Phat Farm, Sean John, Coogi, Avirex, Rocawear, Pelle Pelle, Girbaud, Polo and Guess. Shoes and accessories are from Timberland, K-Swiss, Buffalino and Lugz.

The retailer's 38th store is currently under construction at Southpark Mall in Colonial Heights, Virginia, and will have a new look when it opens this month. The store has been redesigned by Chute Gerdeman, who replaced the company's designer of 15 years in order to create a new look for Man Alive. The new design will take the store from an industrial feel to a more residential feel.

“In the late ‘90s, industrial was very popular with a lot of hard finishes — an open ceiling, large warehouse-style lights and a stained concrete floor,” says Jeffrey Bublick, president of Man Alive. “As we've evolved to include females as part of our customer base, we've decided to soften the interior and turn toward a more residential feel with softer finishes and colors and rounder edges.”

The company will roll forward with the new look as it seeks out larger, 3,200-square-foot spaces (as opposed to the current 2,800 square-foot locations) for its new stores.

“Man Alive carries a wide selection of men's and women's apparel, whereas certain stores primarily focus on males,” says Bublick. “And our merchandise is edgier than you may find elsewhere; we pride ourselves on identifying trends and being on the cutting edge of trends as they emerge. Our vendors look to us as a primary distribution outlet for their products. And our association with Finish Line can only strengthen us in terms of securing the latest and greatest vendor lines.”

Both Indianapolis-based companies, Man Alive and Finish Line naturally joined forces as the two companies are both mainly mall-based and overlap in terms of customer base.

“We've seen Man Alive grow now for a number of years, and it kind of reminded us of what happened to Finish Line when we started way back in the ‘70s and ‘80s,” says Finish Line Senior Vice President and COO Steve Schneider. “They have a very good concept, and it was mainly focused around apparel, which is a smaller part of our business. A lot of their customers would shop in our stores for footwear.”

Man Alive will continue to operate separately from Finish Line. The goal, over time, is to move all of Man Alive's distribution through Finish Line's corporate headquarters, and eventually move all employees there as well. As a growing team, the retail duo sees big benefits for the mall industry.

“We strive to be the leader in our category of urban wear in every market where we locate,” says Bublick. “When we open in new areas, it's as though the product wasn't already widely available in the existing market. So we're bringing something new and fresh to the centers.”

“We've agreed that going forward, Man Alive will utilize Finish Line's real estate department, which is much more developed,” adds Schneider. “In the very first week after the merger, we already had 15 to 20 deals put in front of us. And after we get through this first year, if we want to ramp up from there, we can certainly do that.”

— Susan H. Fishman