[ad_1]
I’m an avid user of the smartwatch because I like to have the phone extension tied around my wrist. But if it’s not a smart watch, it should be stylish, like an expressive piece that’s good enough as an accessory to any outfit.
Instead of being the only versatile watch, Mirzan Meer is trying to cultivate the culture of Malaysian watch collectors. To that end, Jalan has opened a conceptual store that functions as a clock gallery while doubling as a coffee shop in Telawi. Public store (Popular).
“The mission is to restore the art of collecting watches that we believe have been lost due to the aggressive marketing of luxury watches and the convenience of smart watches,” Mirzan told the Vulcan Post.
Traveling through time
Mirzan grew up familiar with watches since 1958 when his family was engaged in trade, which meant that in his youth he would go to jewelry and watch fairs in Hong Kong, Belgium and Switzerland.
In 2018, he joined Time Zone, a company that distributes watches, and is now a director there. Looking at the diversity of watches he found in the Time Zone, he eventually set up his own multi-label watch store, Clock Library (TWL).
TWL catalogs various watch brands in alphabetical order, and then sells them online and through Vernaculars, brand extension.
Working directly with designers from each brand such as Bravur, Ice-Watch, Timex and Greyhours, the products come from Belgium, France, Switzerland, Canada, Sweden, Japan and Australia.
According to Mirzan, his education has improved his instinct to choose TWL and Vernacular watches. Is able to identify quality, creativity and modernity in both design and workmanship. In addition, it favors independent watch brands built with passion.
Coffee time
Located in Bangsar, the Vernakular extends over 82 square feet when you get into the fragmented concept of interior design.
On the left, it is painted white from floor to ceiling to mimic a gallery that includes watches from its main brand, TWL. He also has enough real estate for pop-up stores and has taken up accommodation Release, health and skin care recharge.
To the right of the store you’ll find its own indoor cafe, PeepCoffee, which has designated seating areas for guests for dinner and takeaway customers.
When I visited the store a month ago, it seemed like a great hangout place for Bangsar millennials and Generation Z crowds.
In the last year since Vernakular opened in October 2020, the store has only been up and running for 7 months due to blockages, but it has still gained popularity fairly quickly. Perhaps this was due to the group’s use of social media and the store’s main location in Bangsar.
Turning coffee drinkers into clock collectors
Mirzan shared that the biggest challenges facing running Vernakular have been similar to the financial problems most businesses suffered during the pandemic. This includes covering rent for the 5-6 months that were closed since they were launched.
All their efforts were focused on selling watches on their website, and with it markets include Zalora, Lazada and Shopee.
“The feeling of buying [for the watches] it has been very inconsistent and if it weren’t for a long-term strategy, it might not have opened a store at all, ”Mirzan admits.
Now that the economy was booming, I was curious if Vernakular was seeing more customers visiting its coffee shop or watches.
“I would say that coffee has more regular traffic, but the watch shop takes on more sales value,” Mirzan said, adding that many of the customers who visit the coffee shop have become watch customers. “It’s balanced, so I can say that the mission is on the right track.”
As Mirzan intends to act as a physical gallery for watches for Vernakular and direct traffic to TWL, he told the Vulcan Post that he has no plans to expand his concept store. So if you’ve ever been to Bangsar, stop by as it’s the only Vernakular store you’ll probably see.
Bangsar was a strategic opportunity
Bangsar is known for its influence on the culture and style that has attracted many local creators. This is why Vernakular is the right location to drive traffic to its parent company, TWL.
Mirzan added that he hopes to use more than one retail space as a space for the Vernacular community with local artists and makers through programs or workshops.
In terms of business sustainability, it looks like the cafe will be the anchor that will attract customers to visit the store. There, they can browse the watches sold by the brand, which can be between RM299 and RM17,000.
Therefore, it makes sense that while Vernacular sales may be consistent, each high-value product can help keep costs down for the most part.
That said, Mirzan’s experience in Time Zone is an advantage when it comes to managing his store, as he has more observational data on Malaysian watch buying trends.
At the moment, Time Zone distributes about 50K and 60K clocks a year, so TWL can get the same numbers if it builds and works. But first, Mirzan’s most immediate plan is to officially launch Vernacular soon.
- You can learn more about the Vernakular Store here.
- You can read about more Malaysian startups here.
Featured Image Credit: Vernakular Store Group
[ad_2]
Source link
