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Napa Valley Register:
Mother and Son Work to Deliver High-End Fashion in Downtown Napa
Yellow pants paired with the perfect shirt seemed like an ideal match to Napa clothing store owner Scott Lyall. But for the male customer who was expected to wear it, the boldly colored ensemble was far outside his comfort zone. That’s when Lyall made an interesting bet.
Wear the outfit to dinner tonight, Lyall proposed, and if the man didn’t receive more than five compliments, Lyall would take it all back. The bet was a risk for the clothing store owner. The outfit, like all the clothes in Lyall’s store, was high-quality, high-end fashion and would be hemmed to fit the customer. The man took the bet, went to dinner in his edgy new outfit and called Lyall the next day: At least a dozen people had approached him with compliments.
“After so many years in the business, you know what looks good and what doesn’t,” Lyall said. “I’ll never let you walk out of my store looking bad.”
Scott Lyall Clothes for Men is located on Main Street in Napa’s Riverfront district. Next door is a women’s clothing store owned by Scott’s mother, Helen Lyall.
Both clothing stores are renowned for high-quality clothing, ideal for the fashion-conscious customer. While the stores sell a few basics, they are best known for following the most current fashion trends. The clothes are unique, edgy and personally selected by each store’s owner.
“I handpick all of it,” Helen Lyall said of her store’s merchandise. “The minute a new fashion comes in, I hop on it. Our store is known to be the first in fashion.”
When Scott Lyall selects merchandise for his men’s store, he looks for distinctive clothing that stands out from typical menswear. His number one line is Robert Graham, a popular men’s clothing brand known for its color and eye-catching detail.
For Helen Lyall, an interest in merchandising and fashion began early as she witnessed the daily operations of her family’s store, which sold everything from thread and fabric to work boots and baptismal gowns.
Lyall grew up in eastern Arizona in a small copper mining town called Superior. Her parents, who immigrated to the U.S. from Lebanon, had nine children and owned a dry goods store, where the family also lived in a few shared rooms in the back.
“It was crowded,” Lyall said. “But we were a very close family. We had a great family.”
Lyall credits her hard work and knowledge for her success in the fashion industry. She began her fashion career in New York City and later moved west to the Bay Area. She worked at The City of Paris, an upscale department store that first opened in San Francisco’s Union Square. She then worked at James Sears in Vallejo, where her influence in fashion began to grow. She soon opened her own clothing store in Vallejo, which she ran successfully for 35 years while earning a loyal Napa Valley following in the process.
In 2010, Lyall moved her store to Napa’s riverfront. Scott opened his men’s clothing store next door shortly thereafter. Both Scott and Helen Lyall know their reputations are tied to the clothing worn by their customers. It’s a responsibility they take seriously. Scott and Helen are frequently in their stores, weekends included, chatting with customers and providing wardrobe consultations.
“We love to coordinate people’s wardrobes,” Helen Lyall said.
Serious shoppers will spend hours in the Lyall’s clothing stores, where customers are often treated like royalty.
“You can have the best store in the world, with the best merchandise and the best location, but if you don’t have the best customer service you’ll never make it,” Scott Lyall said.
Both stores are accustomed to special orders, overnight shipping, gift wrapping and altering clothing to best fit their customers. Helen Lyall said it is not uncommon to offer wine and, sometimes, lunch to shoppers who are working on coordinating a wardrobe.
"We make it fun for them and us,” Helen Lyall said. “Our customers are very, very loyal.”
Scott Lyall said he and his mother both have a strong work ethic, and he credits her for teaching him “absolutely everything” about the clothing business.
“The mother and son bond is wonderful,” Helen Lyall said.
Napa Valley Register:
Scott Lyall Clothes for Men open in Riverfront
The Riverfront building in downtown Napa has opened another set of doors. Scott Lyall, owner of Scott Lyall Clothes for Men, and son of longtime retail shop owner Helen Lyall, celebrated a soft opening this past Friday with the grand opening the following morning.
Lyall is familiar with the retail industry. He opened his first store in Benicia when he was just 21 years old, Lyall said. His career went on to include a store on Fillmore Street in San Francisco, a position as a sales rep for women’s clothing, and a stint as a broker for garment manufacturing before running a ranch and then doing sales in the alcohol industry.
“I got the itch when my mom opened up,” Lyall said about the idea to return to his original career as proprietor of a men’s store.
In late 2010, Helen Lyall relocated her store from its 35-year home in Vallejo to the Riverfront building. She occupies a spacious 2,700 square feet.
Nestled in between Helen Lyall Clothes for Women and Morimoto remained a modest 843 square feet of space — space that Scott Lyall didn’t want to pass up.
“I knew if I didn’t do it, someone else would,” he said.
Lyall said he didn’t want to be just anywhere downtown or even just anywhere in the Riverfront building. His decision to sign the lease on his specific location at 614 Main St. was strategic.
“I can’t think of two better anchors,” he said of the businesses on either side of him. He anticipates his customer base to be a fairly equal split between locals and tourists and sees the Morimoto patron as the perfect fit.
Lyall admitted that deciding to open the store was a “scary decision” because of the money he’d have to spend. However, once he got the approval and encouragement from his daughter, 14-year-old Lexi, who has been helping him prepare for the opening, he moved forward without a second thought.
The construction of the store, which included adding a doorway to his mother’s boutique, resulted in a warm space complete with a restroom and dressing room.
Lyall’s wife, Marie Lyall, designed the interior to provide a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. Jazz music, streaming through the flatscreen TV that adorns the wall behind the register, contributes to the easygoing feel.
Industrial-style clothing racks display brands such as Robert Graham, Ben Sherman, AG, and Andrew Marc leather. Average prices range from $100 to $200 for shirts, $600 to $1,000 for leather jackets, and $90 to $120 for belts. Although there is a small selection of blazers and trousers, the majority of the shop is dedicated to a more casual style.
“I love buying sportswear,” Lyall said. “That’s the fun stuff.”
Lyall said his philosophy on buying merchandise is the same as his philosophy on living life: to follow his gut and go by his instincts. His gut told him this store would be a successful venture. His optimistic view comes from the fact that he sees Napa changing. He believes that Scott Lyall Clothes for Men is a solid response to Napa’s growing demand for higher-end retail.
“I have something for everyone from 20 to 75,” Lyall said of his merchandise.
While he is confident in his ability to dress a range of customers he believes his customer service will really set him apart.
“I will be doing a lot of special ordering,” he predicted.
Lyall is dedicated to making his customers happy and finding the perfect fit and style for each individual. He works with a mix of well-known, new, and specialty designers who provide high-quality and unique clothing and will accommodate special orders.
Lyall’s personality is relaxed and friendly, and he promises a shopping experienced to match.
“I’m fun to be around; I’m not stiff,” he said. “People should have fun when they walk in here.”
Don’t let his lightheartedness deceive you into thinking he is flippant about what he sells. Lyall is serious about never letting someone purchase an item that doesn’t look good on them.
He said he is not into “pressure sales” and knows that his customers are his best advertisement. His approach seems to have been successful one; Lyall is expecting former clients from his previous stores to frequent his new one.
Even in the chaos of launching Scott Lyall Clothes for Men, Lyall maintains a calm demeanor and forward-focused thought process. The doors have barely opened and he is already setting a goal to eventually donate a percentage of his profits to local schools. He would like to pay for programs such as athletics and music, which Lyall said are often the first to be cut from education budgets.
For now, however, Lyall said he is excited to have come full circle and returned to retail. He’s also happy to be next to his mother and mentor, the woman whom he calls a genius and credits for teaching him everything he knows.
“If I can do 50 percent of what she does, I’ll be thrilled,” he said of growing his business.
