Pride Factory recently celebrated 26 years bringing our community the best in boutique gay wear, XXX Items, Greeting Cards, and much more. I think we all heard for a while now that they were moving out of their 13th street location, which they called home for 15 years, and moving onto the drive. Well, now it has happened and last weekend they opened in the shoppes of Wilton Manors. I took the opportunity to go over and meet with owner Matt and Vice President Lori just a few days before they opened the doors at their new location.
Why did you want to move?
The neighborhood on 13th street is very stable but we really wanted to be in the heart of the gay community. We have wanted this for quite a while, but we could never find enough space to support our store. So, when opportunity presented itself, we jumped at the chance to discuss it.
It seems like it took a while for you to move, what happened?
First the lease negotiations took about 6 months, and then Unfortunately, due to Covid, there are many supply chain problems, and it took way longer then expected to receive the items we need.
Are you worried about the rumors that this building may be torn down to rebuild a big complex?
No, we have a multi-year lease, and we are happy to work with the landlord for a new retail space in the new building when that happens.
Is there any difference between the new store and the old store?
Our formula works, so we don’t plan on changing much. We also wanted to give back to the community by building out a beautiful space. At the request of the community, we have brought in more boutique brands. But rest assured the brands everyone has loved will still be around including, but not limited to: Addicted, St33le, Brown Dog, Cellblock 13 and more.
In addition, the new store has 5 dressing rooms (the old store had 3), so our customers don’t have to wait. One of the dressing rooms and a bathroom is handicapped accessible. We also tried to make check out easier with the three registers now side by side for quick check out.
With so many retail stores closing over the last few years, how do you manage to not only stay open but stay successful?
We are laser focused on the gay community and what they want, we have a very loyal customer base. A lot of companies are “Me too” and we are not. For example, many years ago we started carrying 2xist, but when they became mainstream and could be bought at Macy’s we stopped carrying them. We are a boutique store brand.
In addition, we treat our employees well as they are our faces to the community. We have many loyal employees.
It seems like this store is even bigger than the last. Am I correct?
Yes, the retail floor space is bigger, so we are bringing the community a larger Pride Factory!
Are you going to have the same hours?
No, we are staying open later to cater to the community. The new starting hours are:
Sunday – Thursday 11am to 9pm
Friday and Saturday – 11am to 10pm
The new location for Pride Factory is 2282 Wilton Dr, Wilton Manors, FL 33305. For more info call them at: 954- 463-6600.
Grand Opening Celebration soon!
