The Wall Street Journal-20080119-WEEKEND JOURNAL- Style -- Power Shopping- An Occassional Look At Influential Independent Retailers

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WEEKEND JOURNAL; Style -- Power Shopping: An Occassional Look At Influential Independent Retailers

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MAC -- Modern Appealing Clothing, San Francisco

STORE BACKGROUND

MAC, which stands for Modern Appealing Clothing, is a 3,500-square- foot boutique in a former shirt factory in the San Francisco neighborhood of Hayes Valley. The store's owners, siblings Ben and Chris Ospital, worked in the New York apparel business before moving back to their hometown in 1980 on a mission to introduce the Bay Area to then-emerging New York labels like Marc Jacobs and Todd Oldham. "New, fresh faces and small companies have always been our forte," Chris Ospital says.

WHAT IT CARRIES

MAC carries men's and women's clothing and accessories and is known for its mix of better-known European labels such as Jil Sander, Dries van Noten and Lanvin and home-grown and less-expensive brands like Dema and Lemon Twist. There also are independent brands like Zero Maria Cornejo, Zucca and Maison Martin Margiela.

MOST EXPENSIVE ITEM

Hand-embroidered silk dress by Japanese designer Tsumori Chisato, $2,995.

BARGAINS

A black Maison Martin Margiela sweater dress with an extra set of sleeves to be tied around the waist like a belt was marked down 75% to $199. For men, the store does a particularly brisk business in $88 to $98 sweaters by Los Angeles-based Ryan Roberts. His cotton mock turtlenecks and V-necks are staples for male clients, Ms. Ospital says. She suggests that the designer create limited-run styles with a different type of collar, unusual color combinations or elbow patches.

MOST UNUSUAL ITEMS

A mannequin dressed in a brown hooded minidress made out of fake fur by the brand Zucca. The dress, the last one in the store, was marked down to $148 and looked vaguely like an Ewok from "Star Wars." Mr. Ospital says Zucca, a Japanese brand that's mentored by designer Issey Miyake, is known for unusual materials. "We call it roadkill acrylic," he says. For men seeking the avant-garde, the store sells Jil Sander raincoats that are laser-cut to create sharp but raw seams. The $1,600 coats are intentionally made small, with high armholes, for a European fit.

WHAT'S NEW

MAC started carrying Lanvin menswear when it launched last year, and it picked up the recently introduced men's collection by Jil Sander. The owners say they are inspired by the local food movement, which in California often means food sourced within a 100-mile radius. Lately, they've been giving priority to local designers, such as Krista Bachmeier and Amy Serabi. To conserve the environment, MAC recently started using recyclable cloth shopping bags.

WHERE IT GETS ITS STOCK

Besides traveling to Europe to vet collections, the Ospitals say they have developed long-term relationships with many vendors like Maison Martin Margiela, who tend to recommend new brands that fit the store's quirky aesthetic. On occasion, the owners get ideas about new labels from what customers are wearing.

FITTING ROOMS

The four fitting rooms are minimalist and clean, although two of them are a little cramped, with a single metal hook on which to hang garments. Mr. Ospital says if customers need more space, they can ask for the bigger fitting rooms, which have doors instead of curtains. The two larger rooms are in the back of the store, to the right.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Enthusiastic and hip. A man named Scott greeted customers on a recent day wearing thick tortoise-shell glasses, a hot-pink cashmere sweater and a silk scarf tied around his neck: "It's your lucky day -- we're down to 75% off."

DECOR

MAC looks like a refined warehouse, with exposed brick walls, klieg lights (which use low-wattage bulbs to save energy) and angular fixtures made from reclaimed wood. To the right of the entrance is a small garden containing potted plants. In one corner of the boutique, there's a seating area with midcentury modern-style chairs covered in needlepoint pillows by Jonathan Adler. In-store music is a mix of locally popular bands like Grizzly Bear and original music from Asphodel, a San Francisco-based record label that represents artists like John Cage. Two shaggy dogs lounge around; until we petted them, we couldn't tell if they were real or stuffed.

WHO SHOPS THERE

The store's mix appeals to quirky San Franciscans, celebrities and dot-com execs. According to the owners, shoppers include: Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page; tech entrepreneur Doug Camplejohn; Craigslist founder Craig Newmark; director Joel Coen and his wife, actress Frances McDormand; actor Robin Williams.

NEED TO KNOW

LOCATION

387 Grove St., San Francisco, 94102;

Tel: 415-863-3011

CHECKOUT

The store has no checkout area, which helps sustain its mysterious gallery vibe. When it was time to pay, the nose-ringed saleswoman disappeared with our credit card behind a wooden room divider and emerged a minute later with our shopping bags and a receipt.

RETURN POLICY

Full-price merchandise can be returned -- but only for store credit -- within 10 days of purchase. The store says that sale items are always final sale, with no exceptions.

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Email us at [email protected].

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