Appreciation

Appreciation. Freistil/

Bad Salzuflen. In the spa town of Bad Salzuflen, André Matyschik manages a store that is a truly impressive example of how a traditional retailer of women’s fashion can be transformed into a concept store focusing on modern sportswear...

Text: Kay Alexander Plonka. Photos: Freistil

André Matyschik certainly knows a lot about tradition. He has been in the textile retail industry since he finished his training. In 2009, he finally took the plunge into self-employment. Since then, he has moved his Freistil store to three different locations in Bad Salzuflen. In 2014, he finally found the perfect prime location on the former premises of Th. Hunecke, a fashion house in the pedestrian zone, in close vicinity to the spa gardens. Both the building and the shop fitting from 1924 are under monumental protection. Wooden shelves, Italian brass chandeliers, Austrian glass lamps, oak panelling, and the old counters remained in the store. The only thing that has changed is the product range - and that has changed quite significantly in comparison to the previous decades. Matyschik has proved that a specialised retailer of denim and sportswear can find a new home within the walls of a traditional fashion house. The time-honoured framework is truly impressive. The shop window alone boasts a floor space of 30 square metres and - as you’d expect from a classic setting - it extends over the entire width of the store. Immediately after Freistil moved into the building from 1924/25, the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe, a regional association, honoured the premises as the monument of the month. The reasoning behind the award was that it is very difficult to find a new use for listed stores without changing the entire interior.

Small, but Beautiful

The town of Bad Salzuflen, which has approximately 50,000 residents, nestles in the north-eastern corner of North Rhine-Westphalia on the A2 motorway between Bielefeld and Hannover. The former “state spa” is now a thermal spa and a certified Kneipp resort. “This town should not be underestimated as a location - our store attracts locals and visitors from many different age groups. They value the personal approach and the detailed advice we offer. We greet every customer warmly and serve them to the best of our abilities. We offer what the large department stores, vertically integrated retailers, and e-commerce players cannot offer”, André Matyschik explains. “The average age of residents is sixty years, which is reflected in our customer structure. However, we are the outfitters for people in their mid to late thirties, as well as for people who are well over seventy years old - possibly even eighty”, Matyschik recounts.

Call for Action

The shopping experience is what counts, even in a spa town. “Four years ago, we were the first - and also the only - retailer to organise a late night shopping event in Bad Salzuflen. In one of the past seasons, a friendly restaurateur hired an American Airstream snack trailer and parked it in front of our store. He supplied our hungry customers with curry sausages and burgers. We are currently preparing a gin tasting with Lossie, a Bielefeldbased spirits company. We will have a barkeeper in the store. He will mix drinks and explain the products, which we plan to stock after the event, in-depth. We are working hard to improve our public image. In summer, we intend to organise a downtown cross-golf tournament during the annual brewery festival. This endeavour has the backing of the city’s marketing department”, Matyschik explains with a smile on his face. Interested parties can follow all the aforementioned projects on the Facebook page of Freistil. In addition, visitors can marvel at the bikes that André Matyschik skilfully displays in the store and/or the shop window. The bikes include his Triumph Scrambler, Harleys, and some Triumph bikes owned by friends. In the future, Freistil’s product range will have an even more noticeable focus on sportswear. “The new denim brands we will stock from the upcoming autumn/winter season onwards are Diesel, Denham, and Nudie. In addition, we will add baseball and down jackets with detachable sleeves by Chevignon, jackets for men and women by Blauer USA, and jackets and cashmere sweaters knitted on t-shirt machines by the Norwegian label Johnny Love. The revived cult brand Jet Set is an exclusive addition for women. For the first time, we will add footwear to our product range on a larger scale. We started off with Aigle and Fred Perry, but will now also stock Palladium, Red Wing Shoes, and Cheaney from England. The latter are added to cover the price range that spans from 100 to 500 Euros”, André Matyschik adds.

Full of pride: André Matyschik respects the old fashion house and has filled it with new life.

Freistil

Am Schliepsteiner Tor 6 32105 Bad Salzuflen/Germany www.freistilfashion.de Owner: André Matyschik Employees: 1 permanent, 4 temporary Opening: October 2014 Sales area: 250 sqm Brands: 7 For all Mankind, Baldessarini, Blonde No.8, Bugatti Woman, Colmar, Deus Ex Machina, Deyk, Fred Perry, Gant, Heinz Bauer, Matchless, Nudie Jeans, Pepe Jeans, Silver Jeans Accessories brands: Campomaggi, Hemley, Nila Pila, Umjubelt, von Jungfeldt

The store’s fittings, which are more than a hundred years old, have seen many a collection come and go.