My target market is elderly women ages 65+. While this age group is very particular about their clothing, I have noticed a gap in older women’s clothing options in which the garments tend to lack personality and style, so I decided to create a brand that would give personal identity back to the consumer without jeopardizing comfort and ease for the wearer.

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Old Fashioned will be located in Savannah, Georgia, because it was rated one of the top 25 cities to retire in according to Forbes.com.

 

Here's some facts and history about Savannah:

Savannah, Georgia is a historic town of just over 147,000 residents. It was the first founded city in Georgia when James Oglethorp landed there from Britain in 1733. It originally served as a working colony for the poor and imprisoned British, but eventually grew to be a thriving city. They began growing cotton and became very successful in that trade. However, during the Civil War, Savannah was hit very hard. It was set to be burned in General Sherman’s “March to the Sea”, but it is said that General Sherman was so impressed by the beauty of the city that he refused to set it ablaze. Instead, after he captured Savannah, he offered it to President Abraham Lincoln as a Christmas present. After the Civil War, the freed slaves rebuilt Savannah with a thriving economy and a rich culture. The economy dipped again after World War II, but once the 1950s hit, Savannah thrived once again. Today, Savannah gets over 50 million visitors every year. Tourists and locals alike love the rich history and authentic Southern charm Savannah provides. https://www.visitsavannah.com/article/history-savannah

The median age in Savannah is 25-19 years old. There are reportedly more females than males. One person households take up the largest percentage in Savannah at 34.5%, with married households taking second place at 30.1%. Only 24.1% of households have children under the age of 18. The median income is 37.1 thousand dollars. Among people aged 25 and older, 52.7% have a high school degree, while 33.7% have some higher form of education, and only 13.5% have no high school diploma.

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You may ask: Why will consumers want to shop at Old Fashioned? What can they expect when they come into the store? What do we have that our competitors don't? Here's our answer:

Consumers will come into Old Fashioned to get away from the uniformity of department and chain stores. They will come in expecting to see something different and tasteful. Some consumers will even come in to browse our garments with easy-access features such as snap buttons and classic elastic waistlines for minimal effort and maximum comfort. That’s the benefits Old Fashioned offers its customers—style and class with easy access and maximum comfort. Loyal customers will come in about once every two weeks to browse and see what new things we’ve gotten in. Since most my target customers are retired, they go shopping sporadically—some every couple of days, others one every other month. Older people have lots of free time, but sometimes their disposable income is lower, and they have less desire to leave their houses, thus the spontaneity.

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Who shops at Old Fashioned? What does our average, everyday consumer look like? What do they value?

Old Fashioned’s target person is Hazel Gordon. She’s been married for over 40 years to her loving husband George, is 75 years old, and never lost her spunk. She has always dressed more to please her own personal style, but she greatly indulged in the disco era of the 60s and participated in the Summer of Love in ’69. She loves color, fun prints, and flowy materials, but as she has gotten older, she has a hard time keeping warm. Her arthritis also makes it difficult for Hazel to button the small buttons on her favorite blouses and cardigans, so she’s looking for something that makes it easier for her to dress herself without taking away from her style. She’s retired, but she worked for years in Savannah as a writer and eventually editor of the local newspaper, the Savannah Morning News. She is a settled businesswoman. Between herself and George, who was a successful banker in Savannah until his retirement last year, they had a household income of $215,000. They had two children together, Janis and Johnny, who are both in their early to mid 40s now and live on the other side of Georgia. Hazel worked her way through college as a waitress, which is where she met George before he went to banking school and she obtained her journalism degree. They try not to spend too much on clothing, but with their growing need for easier access clothing, they’ve loosened their budget to spend about $150 a month on a new wardrobe. Since they have retired, Hazel and George spend their days at their Savannah home, which they’ve lived in since the 1980s, caring for their two dogs and three cats. They go out to Savannah’s jazz clubs to see friends and dance on the weekends. They are active vinyl record collectors, and always have music playing in their house. They both were very into the hippie lifestyle in the 60s, and they never lost that aspect, so they’re very concerned for the climate. They’ve refrained from voting in national elections since 2008. They have a great backyard garden where they grow lots of vegetables and fruits. They conserve energy, compost, and try to upcycle and reuse their clothing when they can.