This article was published in the September 2016 issue of STORES Magazine.
YOGASMOGA
Founders: CEO Rishi Bali; COO Tapasya Bali
New York City
Locations: 12
www.yogasmoga.com
Yoga apparel company YOGASMOGA makes all the proprietary activewear it sells in boutiques that CEO Rishi Bali describes as “very elegant, humble and organic.”
Bali and his sister, COO Tapasya Bali, opened their first store in Greenwich, Conn., two years ago. He says everything sold in stores is made in the United States from “cutting-edge fiber technology and manufacturing processes.” The clothes are designed to be worn all day, “going from gym to office to casual nights out.”
To minimize clutter, stores only display one item in each size. Most have open seating areas with a sofa, soft chairs and a black coffee table with books, which “makes people relax and connect to us,” Bali says.
A three-story location in La Jolla, Calif., includes a community space to host gatherings and yoga classes, YOGASMOGA Next Door, a feature Bali says will be built out as the right locations become available.
Store sizes range from 1,250 to 2,000 square feet with a product mix of about 450 items and sales per square foot averaging between $800 and $1,000. Expansion plans call for growing the number of company-owned stores tenfold over the next two years.