In this episode, Ali Dee and Nicole James discuss the recent WESA market at Dallas Market Center, from what it is, to how it works, and trending products.
In this episode, Ali Dee and Nicole James discuss the recent WESA market at Dallas Market Center, from what it is, to how it works, and trending products.
Hello and welcome to another episode of Western Life and Styles Trail Blazer podcast. I am so excited we are back with you. My name's Allie d, my co-host today, per usual, Nicole Nava James. I am so excited, Nicole, for today's episode because we are gonna get into the nitty gritty of everything that is Dallas Market and Wesa, which some people pronounce it Wesa. I have always said Wesa. I really truly don't know the Correct.
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:either
Track 1:Oh, okay. Well we're gonna roll with Wesa because it's funny, if I talk to some old school people, they say Wesa, and I've noticed like More of like the new school quote unquote, even though we've been there for a million years, say Wesa. So I truly don't know which one it is, and I think they're fine with either way. So anyways, we're gonna talk all about that because that was a big event that just happened in the Western industry last week. And so we just wanna talk about what we saw our, thoughts. What it is, how it all works. And if you like, are a brand or business in the Western industry and you're interested in hopping into Wesa or Dallas Market Center, how they can get involved and more about our showroom there some tips maybe, and then also like some trends that we saw because there was lots of interesting stuff going on.
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:Yes.
Track 1:So why don't we just first dive into what Dallas Market is because, I think it's important for us to just explain Dallas Market and Wesa and how they are intertwined and how that all works. Dallas Market basically is a ginormous, huge complex, full of thousands of showrooms from all the brands that everybody knows and loves. And specifically on the 14th floor is the Western brand. So you'll find things like your Wranglers, your Cinch, your Justin boots, Tony Llama, like
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:Every single brand, every.
Track 1:Yeah, every single brand. they're all on the 14th floor. they have permanent showrooms. So what happens out of there is buyers will come to this market, they will then go to that floor and they will purchase items that are further down the line. So like for this market in August, 2023. They may be selling like spring 2024, something like that. In those showrooms, they're ordering quite in advance. market center is not open to the public. So this is only for people that are store owners, whether you have a Western store or boutique, an online store, you have to apply to get access to this market. Now, what's different about Wesa is that it's actually a market that happens during market. So Dallas market centers open for several markets throughout the year, but in January and in August, we especially love it because that's when Wesa is there and Western is a Western and English market. where it is very, you know, western farming, equestrian related and basically it takes up the entire, what is it, 11th floor. So,
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:much all of the 11th floor, and then they kind of trickle on to 14 seven. You know, anything else that's Western based
Track 1:Right. Different floors, on the market. So Wesa comes in, they take over the 11th floor, and this is where all the temporary exhibits are. So some of them will have permanent showrooms and get extra space down on 11 as well. But most of them are gonna be brands that are coming in just to show for that particular show. And then they're moving all their stuff back home with them until January comes around. So it's, it's a big deal. Like the day before market starts is total chaos, right.
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:Such chaos. I mean, I remember my first time going with you to market and I can't even remember how many years ago this was. And I was so scared. I was petrified.'cause it's so large there. And then just seeing everybody, like doing their thing, setting up, you know, trying to use the elevators. Um, it's your first time going, I mean, It's a little frightening. I'm not gonna lie, Now we just like kind of go in there and we like know the drill, but first timers, I mean, it's scary.
Track 1:Yeah, it's a lot in there. I mean, there's like only a certain amount of elevators. Everyone's trying to jam all their crap inside the elevators and like get all the way up to the 11th floor it's a long day moving in and Western shows in particular. You know, people are moving in like saddles, like heavy equipment all the way up to the 11th floor. So you just gotta have patience that day, which I feel like just kinda, with the territory. You realize, all right, this is what move in day is. It's gonna be crazy and just bring snacks and beer.
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:Yeah, exactly. It.
Track 1:is a lot a long day. Okay, so we talked about that. Not everybody can get into market.
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:Right. Wholesale only. I mean
Track 1:right.
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:just definitely wanna get that through to everybody. It's, it's wholesale purchasing only.
Track 1:And that's, the same for Dallas Market throughout the year. And we get asked that question all the time with my brands, like, can we come shop at your showroom? And I'm like, uh, no, sorry. It really truly is wholesale only and you have to get an approval process. so this particular market was exciting for us because we had our West Life and style showroom grand opening, which if you guys don't know, we have had a showroom at Dallas Market Center for a couple years now. Nicole and I have been showing with my brand for many years before that, and we really wanted a place where we could represent other Western brands that wanted to have a chance to be at Dallas Market Center, but maybe not the responsibility of having their own showroom, because I will tell you, it is a lot of responsibility. A lot goes into
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:You have your
Track 1:very, very
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:You got that one. Then you got our Western Life and Stalin. I don't know how you do it. It's a lot.
Track 1:Yeah, it's, it's expensive. I'm not gonna lie. It is an expensive
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:that's why it's so great for these brands because of how expensive it is. I mean, you know, you're paying for all of these things, especially whenever you need somebody to help you work it. just all the marketing that goes into it. I feel like we've done a great job with letting these brands, you know, kind of have a place where they can showcase their items as well. All in one
Track 1:Right. Yeah, it's really cool. So if you're not a cinch or a Wrangler, which most of us are not, though we aspire to be that large one day, this is such a cool opportunity to be represented in our showroom because. Now you have a chance to play with the big boys, but not have to pay the big boy prices.
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:right.
Track 1:know? and we, built our own clientele where we have such a great place where people can come and see a great selection from lots of different western lines, from like jewelry, kids, clothes, you know, accessories, all kinds of
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:It really is like a one stop shop for store owners who are just wanting to kind of, you know, go in and then they find every single item that they need. Like what you said, from the jewelry to the shoes, to the tees, you know, it's all right there.
Track 1:Yeah, and, it was really extra fun this market, because what happened was we had a showroom prior to this kind of a smaller showroom. It was long and narrow and it would get really crowded in there, And, a newer showroom came up that was just the perfect size. It's huge, the perfect size for us. We'd been wanting a larger showroom for so long. Dallas Market Center came through for us. Finally we had to pester them so much. and so we got this great new showroom. So we moved all our lines in there. We got some new lines going, and then we had our big ribbon cutting ceremony just last week at the market. So you organized that whole thing. So tell us a little bit about what you organized, the party who was there, all the,
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:um,.Yeah, it was so much fun. we had a bunch of new brands in the room as well, so that was so fun to kind of showcase all the new brands in there. Since we did move to a larger room, we, We get to have new brands now, and then there's more to come as well. And then we also had, an influencer mixer. Um, we did a little shout out to our 30, over 30 women, winners as well. was fun. We had a live singer. We had a dj, uh, photographer. was just a fun, good networking event as well. I noticed a lot of the influencers, know, use it as a way so they can Can kind of introduce themselves to all the brands that we have in the room if they wanna work with them in the future. I noticed a lot of store owners got to meet a bunch of the influencers. they got to see us cut the ribbon, and kind of welcome, you know, everybody come shop, come have fun. Um, so it, it was really fun. I always love those events.
Track 1:And I know one thing that you and I talk about is a priority for us with Western Life and style is connecting the influencers and the brands because there really is a mutual relationship there that needs to be built and nurtured. And sometimes it's hard when you're just communicating via DMM on Instagram or whatever and you don't know the person. And once you meet each other in person, I feel like it makes the relationship so much stronger, don't you think?
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:Oh yes. I mean, you get to see who they are. I mean, so many people I can hear them chatting and you know, creating new stuff and you collab. So it's always fun to see that actually come into life and you're like, oh, you guys met in the room,
Track 1:Yeah. And even just the influencers getting to meet each other because we are so supportive of the Western community overall. I mean, that's why we created this whole entire business in the first place, was just to support women in the western community, in the western industry. And a, a mixer like this that you really just run the show on because I am not a party planner, guys. I Oof, we had a party, it would not be fun. Um, I would, I
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:Well, we gotta give
Track 1:let's watch.
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:No, we have to give a shout out to, ranch Water, lone River and Ranch Water. They were so awesome to, um, donate all the beverages as well. So yes, there is booze involved and so it does become a
Track 1:Yeah. Yeah, it becomes a party. The western influencers get to meet each other and hang out and network as well. And then, the music's bumping. We had a great singer. It was super fun. So great job, nice party. I enjoyed it. And I'm not one to like parties, you know, I shy away from those things and it was a
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:job, Sarah Rowe.
Track 1:Yeah, exactly. Great job singing. so again, our room is on the, I don't think we've mentioned it yet, so we're actually on the seventh floor. The seventh floor is really where the party goes down because this floor at Dallas Market Center is like the cash and carry floor. So it's really fun. There's a lot of energy. People are coming in and they're buying products. Immediately that they're gonna take right back to their store. So it's different. Like I mentioned on floor 14, you're going in there, you're ordering for like spring next year in our showroom. You're picking up stuff that you're gonna use and sell right away in your
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:And what you mean by that is, so when you're going into these showrooms, they are just sample pieces. You can't just go in there, pick up the piece and take it with you. These are all showcase sample pieces. you write an order for that sample and then what Ally was saying on our floor, you can just take it to go. So they're actually samples. Plus you can actually take the items.
Track 1:Right. So we'll have, you know, multiples of the same items. Just like if you were to shop at like at a regular store. I always say it's like a boutique for boutiques because like boutiques come in and they're shopping for boutiques. So it's kind of like a special thing that happens on the seventh floor. And that's really what differentiates us from 14. And a lot of times people will come to the seventh floor, like the first day of market because they wanna make sure they have the best access to all the cash and carry items. So that's a new little thing that I learned the smart buyers know. get there the first day. Yeah. okay. Speaking of coming to market as a buyer, I know that you and I have been doing it for a long time, like we've mentioned, and I feel like there's some like tips and tricks that we've got up our sleeves to make market easier. And I mean, I know just like right off the bat, a few that I have is like, you definitely want to plan ahead. So if you're a new store or a new buyer or a Western store and you're coming to market and you're coming to Wesa and it's your first time, Take the time to like download the Wesa app, download the Dallas Market Center app, look and see at all the showrooms that are there, all the temporary exhibits, run through'em and kind of circle or make a note of like a real note, not a note in your phone, but like get out a piece of paper at a pen, make a note of the ones that you wanna see, and then map it out where it is on the show floor. Because once you walk into these buildings, I mean, like you said in the beginning, it is so overwhelming. There's so much going on. Did you say it's a SmackDown?
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:I said It's massive
Track 1:I'm like, yeah, it's a SmackDown too, man. You walk in there, she says, boom. because you're just overwhelmed. That's funny. Yeah, so I mean, it's just definitely something that the more you can plan ahead of time. Prepare, the better you will be once you walk in the building, because before you know it, it's gonna be 8:00 PM and you're gonna feel like you've got nothing done if you're not prepared. So make your notes, know what you gotta know ahead of time. And then, I also wanna say that I think it's really important to note, to wear comfortable clothes because. you're just gonna be spending all day in this place where, you know, it can be freezing cold in one showroom and hotter than Hades in another showroom. And so you just gotta be flexible. You have to move around quickly. So comfortable shoes. and I mean, that's kind of like my two most basic tips. I know you probably have some good tips too.
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:some of mine is definitely come early. I mean, everybody is fighting over parking. It is insane. When it opens, try to be there at least 30 minutes before when it opens, which is usually around eight 30 or so.
Track 1:Yeah. You're so good at that,
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:I know, I'm like, I'm getting there early because I'm either gonna get valet or if you don't get valet, get a spot in the parking lot.'cause if you don't get a spot in the parking lot, let me tell you guys, you guys are parking way on the other side and across the street, and you're gonna have to walk a long, long ways just to get in there. And it's, you'll be tired before you even go in there. And then there's so much walking to do inside. so I recommend really coming early. I mean, I learned that the hard way. When I first started with you, I was like, Nope, never doing this again. I'm always gonna be there early.
Track 1:Yeah, I know. It's great.
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:Yes. also if you're gonna stay, um, I would recommend trying to stay somewhere close. Dallas traffic. I don't know if a lot of you guys are like US country girls, kind of when you get in the cities, kind of lose yourself and kind of scream and you know you're driving and you don't know what you're doing. Yeah. So, if, especially if you're driving, to stay somewhere a little close so then you can kind of go back and forth. You're gonna be there all day. I mean, there's just no way. If you wanna go back to your hotel room to kind of take a break or something, it's a journey. I mean, it's a, it's the size of a mall, times 10. it's a huge thing. If you wanna go make your rounds and go through it all, plan accordingly on your days and how many days you're gonna stay there and stay close.
Track 1:right? Yeah. Great tips. Another one you just reminded me, when you said like, when you go back to your hotel, I think it's really important that people bring, like, like I said, like a little notebook or you know, some kind of Thing where they can actually take written notes on. Because a lot of times you're gonna be meeting like new brands and new showrooms, new products you're interested in, and by the time the day is over, your mind is gonna be like mush and you're gonna get back to your room and be like, oh, what was that great t-shirt brand we loved? Oh, I made a note. It's Allie d
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:Or Road Ranch
Track 1:Right. So I'm just kind of making those notes along the way throughout your day because you will be meeting and talking to so many amazing brands and products and that way you'll be able to like dissect what you saw through the day and not just feel like my brain is mush. I have no idea what's going on and I wanna go to bed. You can actually be a little bit productive once you get back and just review'em quickly. Nothing crazy, just little notes, don't you think?
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:Yes, of course. I don't know how, sometimes I'm like, I don't know, what's the harder job for the brands? Like kinda having to set up and get it all together and it's this huge, you know, year long adventure or if the store owners having to go around and looking like being a buyer just seems very overwhelming, fun, but overwhelming as well. So just be as organized as you can possibly be.
Track 1:And at the end of the day, we're kind of all in it together. I mean, we both want the same things. Whether you're a brand or you're a buyer, you both want success with the product. And that's just like if you meet a brand where you do have that mutual understanding of what it's all about, I think it's so special. And you've created so many great relationships over the years at Wesa. You guys, people come to see Nicole, like they're just like, They love coming to my booth and ordering with Nicole. I might as well be chop liver and
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:Oh my God.
Track 1:cause they're just like, where's Nicole? I wanna talk to her. I'm like, okay, here she's, and I just walk away or go to the bathroom or something. But yeah, it's really cool to see all the relationships you've built. Yeah.
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:I love it. It's fun you make, I mean, I've made so many of my friends that I have now and so many of business relationship friends from being at market, so I'm really grateful for it. Honestly, from Zone or Girl Nava to West Life and style to l e d, to Rotary Ranch, everything, it's all missed into one. So I'm like doing all of my jobs at that one place. It's, it's amazing.
Track 1:Yeah, it's perfect. And like I said, you guys, Nicole runs her entire own social media company that helps a lot of the brands that are at market. So it's so cool'cause you get to go see them as well. when I give you a lunch break when I'm nice enough, but you. Right, her meetings on the 14th floor. so if you are a brand or a business owner and you're looking for help with social media, Nicole Zal, because she, not only are you fabulous, I mean she's grown our accounts like crazy. So, I mean, I'm telling you, she last night I was just, we were texting and I was just laughing at all the great social media content she comes up with because, especially for Instagram, this is a whole nother tangent. We'll have an episode on this, but How important on Instagram it is still to create like relatable, shareable content.'cause that's really the only thing that's reaching new people right now. Nicole is the queen of that, so if you need some help getting your social media going, contact her. It's nicole@zonagirlnava.com. You just wanna but it's really cool. Again, it all, it's all hands in hand, you know,
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:It really is,
Track 1:mm-hmm.
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:are very important for my me buying diapers at the end of the day.
Track 1:why are diapers so expensive? Like, oh my God, 30 bucks for a box. But just a quick little tidbit of information. If you go to Aldi, you can get a box of like 72 diapers for 1199. So all my mamas out there go to Aldi to get your diapers. They do run out fast and you just gotta go every day and be like, do you have your diapers in yet? Because people are like starting to get the secrets out. I know.
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:a good secret. Bye.
Track 1:So let's just finally kind of wrap it up with some of the trends that we saw this market. then, yeah, we can touch on next market and when that's gonna be, if you are interested in going, let's talk about some of the trends that we saw. I know you got a chance to walk the floor, so what were some of your like, favorite things that you saw?
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:I saw a lot of denim on denim, this go round. I know that's always been popular, but I really saw a lot of that. I mean, there was so much different denim, which I really love that. I also did see a lot of prints too, so it went from one extreme to the other. A lot of prints, like, I don't know if you guys are familiar with, you know, like Lily Poulter or like the Lisa Frank kind of, you know, the prints, how there's like multiple colors, but they blend together very well. Um, very loud prints, but it's so pretty the way they did it. And I saw tons of brands doing that.
Track 1:Yeah, I remember specifically seeing, two fly. She had some really great like cute stuff where she had, accomplished that with her brand. That's a really great brand if you all need anything, for your rooms. But, What else?
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:Oh, the, the sparkles are still in. I'm not a personal fan of these sparkles, but they
Track 1:you wore sparkles last market. It was so cute.
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:markets ago. I felt so out of place. I'm like back to my basics, my denim and my basics. But, um, they're very sparkly. they look, I mean, so many of these girls can pull it off. A lot of these influencers and a lot of these girls I see pull off all the pink and, you know, sparkly colors. I love it.
Track 1:yeah, there was so much great stuff. I agree about the prints. I noticed specifically too that a lot of the prints involved retro western elements, which I thought was really cool. so we're seeing a lot of that and, A lot of like larger floral prints, if you will. Like, not like in little minis, but kinda like more bold statements. And, I've seen that across the board on different types of items, tops, jackets. yeah, it's really cool to see a lot of like nice deep colors blending well together. course your usual leathers and denims. Um, peppered into like trendy looks, which was really neat. I mean, I was just really impressed with the way that, you know, Western's going and the fashion and, and all those brands and all the hard work that they do.
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:I'm excited to see what all the girls are gonna be wearing during N F R. That's always like a fun little fashion, you know, runway for us Western girls.
Track 1:Yeah, for sure. We'll have to do a whole episode on that. Maybe we'll bring in someone to talk about, like trends forecasting for N F R. So I'm already seeing that out there on TikTok land. We need to talk about that for sure. okay. Lastly, just wanna say the next Big Western market. So if you are brand or a business listening or a store, so whether you want a show at market or attend market for the first time, put January in your calendar because that is going to be the next big show. So, You can check it out at, dallas market center.com. They'll have all the information there, how you can apply, how you can become someone that comes to the show. You can also visit the Wesa website if you wanna specifically come as a WESA member. of those options are available to you, and it's just a really cool thing to come see the show in person. There's nothing like coming to a wholesale show in person if that is your industry. It's just the energy, the vibe, the excitement, seeing everything that's coming up in the future. It's just so cool.
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:Oh, I love it. It's so much fun. And again, usually August and January, the two west of shows are our main ones for Western, but there is markets that go on every single month. So if you're a store owner, just like our showroom, we are open every Monday and. Friday and we're open every single market, that Dallas has to offer. So that's important for you guys as well. Like if you guys need last minute holiday stuff or you know, last minute, if you're having a sale or you're going to a show, um, you're gonna be a vendor at a concert or something, a good way just to run in and kind of grab stuff or make orders, the entire year, pretty much. So store owners, that's really important to know as well.
Track 1:Yeah, absolutely. thank you all so much for listening to this episode. I hope you learned something. I feel like it was educational, don't you?
nicole-james_3_09-13-2023_153831:Yes, I think so too for both brands, influencer, store owners, everybody.
Track 1:yeah, I think it's just, such a cool, unique concept that a lot of people hear about, but don't really know the ins and outs or behind the scenes. So hopefully we got to, you know, peel back the curtain a little bit and show you what's behind and what goes on in a wholesale market. All right guys. Thank you so much for listening to the Western Life and Style Trail Blazers podcast for me, all e d and Nicole Nava James. We'll see you next time. Bye-bye.