The New Powder Puff on Magazine Street

Stoney Clover Lane brings its national brand to the Big Easy with its first location in the city on Magazine Street. The company offers unique travel accessories, with locally inspired patches to customize products like bags, duffels and pouches.

On July 19, sisters and Tulane alumni Kendall and Libby Glazer officially opened the first New Orleans location of their popular travel accessories boutique at 3938 Magazine Street. It is the company’s fifth location. Stoney Clover Lane’s product line includes customizable duffel bags, backpacks, pouches and purses. An in-store seamstress brings each creation to life, and a selection of patches are available to make personalization of each accessory an option.

The company was originally launched in 2009 and has since grown to include locations in Palm Beach, Florida, East Hampton, New York, New York City and Newport Beach, California, as well as additional retailer options at Bloomingdale’s and Saks Fifth Avenue, but the goal of opening a New Orleans store has been in the works for a while.

“New Orleans is one of our all-time favorite cities,” said Libby Glazer. “We fell in love with New Orleans during our four years as students at Tulane University and have always enjoyed spending time here. We were so excited to put it on our Stoney Clover Lane destination list and bring this store to life.”

The new Magazine Street location follows the company’s successful model, with customization and the products’ pastel color options as the key to its standout success.

“The entire store serves to inspire with pre-sewn products on display, all available for purchase,” said Kendall Glazer. And an in-store seamstress is available daily in a designated sewing station where customers are able to watch products be sewn. Each guest can have the option to work with a customization specialist at the patch bar to design their own perfect product.”

The New Orleans location will also offer exclusive branded merchandise, including sweatshirts, T-shirts and hats, as well as a collection of New Orleans icon patches and destination patches featuring some local businesses like Café du Monde, Theo’s, Saba and Creole Creamery.

It’s A Good Time for Travel Accessories
According to MarketWatch.com, while travel overall has shown some continued impacts from the ongoing pandemic, travel accessories have not taken a substantial sales hit. Forbes.com also recently noted even more positive markers in a look at “Summer 2021 Travel Trends,” that stated, “nearly nine in 10 American travelers have plans to travel in the next six months – a new pandemic high.” As such, demand for lightweight options that can do double duty for travel, as well as casual activities, are steady, if not on the rise, as many look to get away to nearby destinations. Items such as sports bags, convertible backpacks, organization accessories and digital device storage bags remain popular items.

Stoney Clover Lane caters to the higher-end market, with prices ranging from $128 for a fanny pack to $268 for deluxe duffel bags, with a long list of accessories and travel bag options at a variety of price points.

Hit the Road
“Nine in 10 surveyed have taken at least one road trip since March 2020, with 75% taking more than four. Road trips have become as popular in 2021 as they were in 2019, with it more likely that they will pass 2019 levels as the summer goes on.” — Forbes

Boldness Pays Off
The company’s products also have taken advantage of a dull market by being instantly recognizable for their rainbow of candy colors, a move that sets them apart from other travel and luggage brands that, for the most part, remain neutral. Think bubblegum pink, mint green and lavender. Design collaboration partnerships include Barbie, Roller Rabbit and Hello Kitty.

“We always recommend our classic pouches — mini, small and large — as a great starting point for building your collection,” said Kendall Glazer. “Our personal favorites are the duffel bags because you can fit them under an airplane seat.”

Stoney Clover Lane’s New Orleans location is the third to open since the start of the pandemic.

“It’s definitely been interesting navigating store openings during the pandemic,” said Libby Glazer. “We’ve prioritized the safety of our employees and customers, putting precautions in place to ensure we’re being responsible and cautious, while also making sure we’re still able to celebrate in some way,” she said.

Design plays a big part not only in the company’s products, but also in each location’s storefronts. The sisters worked closely with local architects and interior designers to reflect the surrounding business communities.

“We wanted the space to pay tribute to what is quintessentially New Orleans and we worked with many local New Orleans artists to help design the store,” said Libby Glazer. “Local architect and designer siblings Patrick and Monica Melancon designed and built out the store. We also partnered with Natalie Erwin Nagim of Fleur Home on two exclusive mirror styles and colorways that will permanently reside in the store and are available for purchase. Additional local artists featured in the store are Rob Corley, Mardi Gras bead artwork, and lighting by Julie Neill Design. We also sourced our antique furniture from local shops including Dunn and Sonnier, Merchant House, and Secondline Arts and Antiques.”

Response from neighbors, new customers and those loyal to the brand has been positive, and Libby Glazer said the sisters are looking forward to moving forward with sales.

“The response to our New Orleans store has been overwhelming,” she said. “We received a warm welcome to the city by some of our favorite local businesses who collaborated with us on destination patches, and our local neighbors on Magazine Street have been so excited for us to join the block. The customer response has been incredible as well. We saw so many members of our community fly in to celebrate with us and the locals have been just as excited for us to arrive.”

For the company’s formula for success, Libby notes that customer relations are key to Stoney Clover Lane’s community development.

“I don’t think there’s any set-in-stone path to success. What’s worked for us has been the importance of our relationship with customers and how we’ve worked to develop that over the years. Kendall and I are constantly interacting with our customers, whether we are DM’ing with them directly through our Instagram or going live to chat with them. We love building these relationships with our customers, which has led to brand loyalty. I also think our customers know that Kendall and I design all of the product ourselves and anything we’re releasing is something that we love, are obsessed with, and use ourselves so they have trust in our products.”

International Travel Remains Strong
Nearly half (47%) of travelers surveyed globally say they are planning to travel internationally in 2021, including 45% of U.S. travelers.
Globally, more than three quarters (77%) of travelers surveyed say they will be more likely to travel internationally if they receive the vaccine, rising to 86% for travel domestically. In the U.S., those numbers change to 69% and 80% respectively.

Source: TripAdvisor — Standout Travel Trends 2021