Pace Paw Print

Before the 1980's there was no Pac Sun, but there was a Pacific Sunwear in Newport Beach, CA. Like most California beach shops, this store had the surf boards, the wax, and other gear. During the low seasons, Pacific Sunwear's business would go down. The founders decided to take Pacific Sunwear indoors, so that during the cold and wet seasons, Pacific Sunwear's business could continue to grow. Pacific Sunwear became the first surf shop to move inside major malls of CA. In 1981, the store made its grand debut in Santa Monica. Eventually the managers opened up several shops along the coast. By 1987, 21 stores were successfully opened and in 1989, Pacific Sunwear officially became Pac Sun.

How did Pacific Sun become such a successful enterprise? Well, the owners used carefully planned marketing strategies. The company purchased products such as "super long board shorts" from Billabong, in addition to a variety of short sleeved shirts. Needless to say, these items were fast sellers. Their target audience, which included young skaters, moto-crossers and surfers, loved the products. With so many people buying these products the store chain continued to expand. Eventually, franchises opened up all along the East Coast. However, Mother Nature began to wreak havoc upon the growing company. Board shorts and tees wouldn't be successful sellers during the harsh winter months. The managers therefore devised an ingenious solution: to switch their line in the fall to long sleeved t-shirts and long denim pants. PacSun continued to update their fashions, incorporating new trends into their fall and spring line ups to keep sales rates high. The store continues to sell a variety of exclusive brands and designs.

California locals created their own brands of clothing line such as Gotcha, CatchIt and Quiksilver to be sold at PacSun. The new variety attracted more consumers than ever before. PacSun was only beginning to gain popularity; in 1992 more PacSun retail stores opened nationwide. Along the coast and across the states, everyone became more familiarized with the store. Aside from creating fall and winter lines, spring, footwear, accessories, fragrance, and a full girl's line were introduced in the shops.

The winter line, aside from the staple hoodies, jackets, and jeans now also includes gear for snowboarding and winter sports fans. Heavier coats and pants are available for winter ski and snowboard weekend getaways.

Accessories now also include everything from belts, belt buckles and headbands, to boxers, panties, socks, and jewelry. The little things can help create the perfect outfit.

The girls' line has clothing and accessories from over 60 brands. The girl's footwear line includes sneakers, flats (slip-ons), winter boots, sandals, and slippers. Popular brands such as Roxy, Vans, Etnies, DC, and Nollie are available for the female footwear fanatic. Stylish and reversible Hurley sweaters are one of the more popular items for the winter, along with jackets from Billabong and a variety of jeans from Bullhead (Venice skinny, Sunset straight, Huntington flare, and Laguna boot). If you're looking for a new purse, there is a variety of matching handbags and wallets from Billabong, Roxy, Hurley, O'Neill, Fox, and more. PacSun also offers travel gear options, such as backpacks and suitcases. With such a wide selection, every shopper can happily find a bag to match their own personal style.

Girls and guys alike will enjoy the new fragrances from Kirra, Vurt, Lilu, and Nollie. The lines of perfume and cologne are just one approach for how PacSun will work to continue to attempt increased customer satisfaction and sales rates.

PacSun has significantly grown and developed, and will continues to do so over the years. PacSun has matured from its existence as a single tiny surf shop, to one consisting of the 859 stores and 76 outlets stores open throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. Over its near-30 year existence, the franchise has developed into a well-known and highly successful business. PacSun indeed represents the true California lifestyle. PacSun is not only a store, but it is also a proud sponsor of the official USA Surf Team. The store's MySpace page states, "There's nothing better than helping young athletes to achieve their goals! PacSun is more than just a store; it's a place where people can go to enjoy this adventure called life!"

PacSun stands out from most clothing stores, in that they set their own trends. The company shows their consumers how to stand out from the crowds and have fun doing it.

When asked, how does PacSun succeed when thousands of other clothing companies fail? The CEO of PacSun stated this on their website (www.pacsun.com), "We listen to get the trends, the solutions and find out what we're doing right. The rest, of course, is history." The kids are the ones who help PacSun get to the top.

PacSun is currently on the first ever PacTour featuring acts such as The Audition, Envy on Coast, Danger Radio, and Another Day Late. Don't forget to stop by a local PacSun to check out their biggest sale of the season (winter clearance).

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