Bendel is Back!

The legendary Henri Bendel store is back with a bang at Easton Town Centre after months of renovations.

The store has been remodeled to look like the New York City flagship store (seen above on 5th Ave), it's one of Limited Brands' concepts, and it has changed it's stripes. Literally and figuratively.

The Easton store went from being a type of upscale Barneys/Neiman Marcus/Bergdorf Goodman-competition department store, like the flagship store is, to centering itself on the legacy of the Henri Bendel brand. The brand has been in existence and has been a mainstay in Manhattan since 1895! Lex Wexner and his company took the store back to basics and made this Columbus location store all about HB. Now, instead of carrying make-up and small leather goods and purses of other high-end companies like Kooba and Chanel, the store is all about Henri Bendel.

Though it looks like a multi-story building on the outside, the store is actually quite small, but it's just right for this Ohio market. And I believe that's one of the key reasons why Limited changed things within Henri Bendel. The Columbus/Midwest market is very unique and different from the East-Coast, New York market, so by making the store soley about the HB brand, it brought Bendel back to its roots, its authentic concept and it honors the 100+ year company. Henri Bendel is know for showcasing leather products with its signature brown and beige stripe pattern. They did a Bendel stripe redeaux, to make their purses, luggage, wallets and passport holders. It's newer and appeals to a younger group of consumers, as well as competes with the hundreds of other companies that are creating and mass-producing their own signature patterns a la the great fashion house of Louis Vuitton.

In the store there were fun things like:

silk scarves

suitcases

 

purses and totes

dog leashes, colors and sweaters

wallets

makeup bags

jewelry

 

candles

teapots and cookie jars

keychains

travel items like passport holders, luggage and luggage tags

leather journals

rubber rain boots (Wellies)

 

gourmet chocolates and other sweets

even matches and Swarovski-crystal encrusted Zippo lighters and other items

...basically lots of gifty items. On my wish list:

I REALLY want this dog carrier....so chic in the signature Bendel stripe. It's only about $400 (rolls eyes). Ahhhh wishful thinking. And that snazzy tote-handbag....LOVES. It's also a pretty penny. Maybe once this economy turns around, I'll be able to save up some money and buy one of these guys.

So be sure to stop by the store next time you're at Easton, it's right next to the Tiffany's they are building. And believe me, I will blog about Tiffany's the day it opens at Easton. It's about time we got the luxury jeweler over here!