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A staple in downtown Orono is packing up shop at the end of the month. After two years of occupying the picturesque spot on the corner of Mill and Main Streets, Studio, the workshop and retail space owned by clothing designer Jessi Sader, is closing its doors.
While the move has been partially dictated by poor sales, Sader said it has more to do with the rapid growth of her clothing line, FXDressed. Since its inception in April of this year, her line has expanded throughout New England, with her clothing being sold in 45 stores.
Sader is now joining forces with friend Heather van Frankenhuyzen of Bella Luna in Bangor, which will operate as her flagship store. She will have a studio there as well as at her home, where employees will work from.
In some ways, this has always been the plan. Sader first moved into the space when her business became too large for her house. She primarily used the store as studio space while an addition was being built on her home.
“This place came up and I’m like, ‘OK, I’ll work out of here and generate income by having a retail space … and if it doesn’t work out I can move back home,’” Sader said. “But I knew I always wanted to grow my clothing line. That was were I was going. I was hoping my retail would just take off.”
It has taken off throughout the region, but at the epicenter, it has not fared as well.
Studio was Sader’s second store in Orono, which she described as a tough town for retail. A majority of her business at Studio is from out-of-town customers passing through.
Sader blames part of the move on the poor economy and part of it on the town’s atmosphere. She has received complaints that her clothes are too expensive or don’t fit the right style.
According to her, Orono’s identity as a college town has affected business — since students don’t typically have a lot of extra money — but she sells her clothes at stores in other college towns where they sell well.
Sader’s American-made, anti-corporate clothing philosophy is the driving force behind her business, but it’s a crusade she posits most are not on board with. She saw education as one of Studio’s roles in the town.
“A lot of people don’t care how their clothes are made,” said Sara Glidden, one of Sader’s three main employees. “They don’t think about it.”
“Sometimes I think I make people think about it, and some don’t want to hear it,” Sader said. “Some people don’t want to think about it.”
As Sader turns her attention away from the retail store in an effort to simplify her business, FXDressed will be branding and expanding. As demand for her clothing increases, she must make more clothes in more sizes and define her brand.
In the next year, she has her sights set on chain stores, such as the New England-based Paper Store. She explained that for one item, such as a sweater, she would have to make 280 units — this means the same fabric and design in small, medium, large and extra large versions.
For now, she is being held back by the supply logistics rather than need. As she streamlines her business and moves out the space, she will be able to take the next steps to develop FXDressed.
Even as she grows, she is adamant about doing things her way. She wants to employ Maine people to make her clothes and is already making compromises with the fashion industry by picking models who have a more natural look.
Looking toward the future, Sader wants to take her line to New York and eventually across the country, though she is not ready for those steps yet. She also wants to sell her line through companies such as Anthropolgie and Free People.
“I have to get out of here,” Sader said. “I’m so overwhelmed I can’t even think about [bringing my line to New York] until I get this stuff moved out after Christmas is over.”
While Sader did not know the future of the location, she said the landlord has expressed a desire to keep it as a retail space.
