American retail is in trouble, but if you’re a small brand with a cult following, there’s nothing better than opening your own brick-and-mortar store. ATM Anthony Thomas Melillo bowed its first pop-up in East Hampton this summer, and even after nearly five years in business, Melillo gleaned priceless new insights from his customers. “Being in the Black Art Rina Sawayama T-Shirt moreover I will buy this store and seeing how people shop changed everything,” he said. “Women weren’t coming in to get just one item. They would buy the same T-shirt or dress in every color, or leave with five different pieces.” Which is to say: If an item does well, ATM will offer it every season and in multiple different colorways. Melillo knows that when you find the perfect white T-shirt (like one of his ribbed micro-modal crewnecks, which feel softer than cashmere), you dread the day it gets worn out and you can’t find another one. But with ATM, those classic, best-selling pieces are always there.
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