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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Advertisement Email Story to a Friend April 27, 2006 UrbanMinx manager Meggie Mahar arranges a display in Medford's newest downtown boutique. UrbanMinx started in Ashland and has expanded to Bend and Medford. (Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell) Boutique Central Downtown Medford has become a happenin' spot for trendy clothiers By greg stIles Mail Tribune Back when Morrissey's Clothes Cottage moved from Cobblestone Village, well north of downtown Medford, to Main Street in 1995, those "in the know" shook their heads and chided owner Joni Roskofsky. "We were told that downtown wasn't viable because it was just a bunch of offices," recalls Roskofsky. "But I wanted to be downtown." Turns out Roskofsky's foresight was superior to the pundits. A decade later, downtown Medford is a happening place for entrepreneurial clothiers. There are no less than nine downtown boutique-style stores catering to a variety of tastes and the movement has mushroomed in the past two years with the arrival of Papillon Rouge, Simply Posh, Estilo Boutique, Mary Elizabeth for Me, Cielo Salon and Boutique, Studio 44 Salon and Boutique and the latest addition, UrbanMinx. "One thing begets another, which begets another," Roskofsky says. "I'm absolutely amazed, because this is a hard market. Advertisement Fifty years ago, a core area bounded by Bear Creek, Oakdale Avenue, and Fourth and 10th streets was home to nationally- and locally-owned department stores. Then the Medford Center came along in the late 1950s, followed by the development of power shopping centers and the Rogue Valley Mall. By the 1990s, the lion's share of the retail activity had been sucked out of downtown. Just when downtown seemed destined to rust away, urban renewal and changing consumer desires reversed that trend. "When we came here, McGee's on Main was the only one other clothing store downtown," Roskofsky says. "Then the Cotton Club opened up in 1998. It seemed like a very slow process, but when you get a couple of clothing stores it makes other people interested." Malls have lost some of their appeal across the country and shop owners have capitalized on customer defections, says Mary Elizabeth for Me owner Sarah Monson-Adair. "People want more personalized service, which is what boutiques are all about." Perhaps 9/11 and its aftermath put the brakes on retail clothing efforts for a while, but a growing class of upwardly mobile clients moving into the area caught entrepreneurial eyes, Roskofsky says. Arizona transplants Eric and Amy Maxwell, who opened their first boutique in the Larson Creek shopping center in 2003, led the recent wave, opening a second Papillon Rouge location next to Vogel Plaza two summers ago. Papillon Rouge carries high-end fashions, including jeans in the $200 range. "It's not just the price tag that's important," Maxwell says. "It's the quality and longevity of the merchandise. People are willing to pay for quality clothing. Customers may not buy a couple of outfits at a time, but they may buy one piece to add to an existing wardrobe." With the Bella Vita development set to surround a new downtown parking garage with offices, condos, retail and a restaurant, and Middleford Commons on the horizon, Maxwell anticipates more shoppers and boutiques. "We're at a boiling point in this area with everything necessary for downtown economic growth," Maxwell says. "There is such a buzz downtown. We could feel it was ready to pop wide open. I think we are in the fifth or sixth year of a 10-year growth spurt." Like Papillon Rouge, Estilo has an Arizona connection. Medford natives Kelly Dixon and Gina Pedrojetti opened Estilo in Scottsdale, Ariz., in August 2002, and brought their concept home in October 2004. General manager Jennifer Wilkinson says there was a bit of sticker shock when Estilo opened across Fir Street from Bella Vita. "Obviously the price points are different for high-end designer clothes that aren't mass-produced like at The GAP," Wilkinson says. "But the shock was followed by relief. People were relieved they didn't have to go five hours away to buy their clothes." Mary Elizabeth for Me — the counterpart to the Nathan James men's clothing store — joined the fashion show last June. Although it's down Central Avenue a block and a half from Main Street, Monson-Adair says there are plenty of collateral customers once shoppers hit downtown. "When people are out shopping at one," she says. "They tend to travel from one to another. Luckily, downtown Medford isn't so enormously large you can't walk it. There are destination shoppers, but the more options there are, the better the draw." Native Brit Melissa Walton launched UrbanMinx Boutique at 14 S. First St. in Ashland last summer and recently opened shops in Bend and Medford, at 130 E. Main St. "There's a lot of new blood and energy coming in here," Walton says. "I think we're on the cusp of something great." She sees Bella Vita altering downtown shopping dynamics. "It could become the new community hub where people come and mingle," Walton says. "Of course, growing up in London, I've got a big-city outlook." Like the other shop owners, Walton says, "the more, the merrier." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4463 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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