Question for all my punter friends on here...
 

I am thinking of starting a UNIQUE horse racing inspired clothing line. While supportive, hubby says it wouldn't work because gamblers would rather gamble than spend money on t-shirts, hats, etc. I say he's been watching too many re-runs of HBO's "Lucky." :D


Market Research:

1) Do you own horse racing inspired attire? If so, what type? (e.g. specific horse, track, race?)

2) Would you purchase such attire? If no, why not? If yes, what appeals to you and what doesn't?

3) If male, would your wife/significant other be interested in attire appealing to women?

Your input is much appreciated.

Cheers.

when I was in college I won this awesome Winstar Farms Jacket that had the big logo on the back, id love stuff like that.

Thank you for your response. I love the idea of giveaways to help promote the brand in initial stages.

Anyone else?

Don't know - I got alot of t-shirts, hats from tracks , NYRA & Florida. It would have to be unique . There is already a store that sells upscale , unique stuff that advertises on the HRRN radio shows . They give a guest on the show a gift certificate to that store,
https://embracetherace.com/ good luck

I'll buy apparel representing different tracks I go to. That's about it. I can also say with certainty that my wife wouldn't wear anything racing related.

Thank you for the link.

Ya. My line would be more unique. The items on that site are sort of generic. But it's a nice, clean site. Better than others I've seen.

Thank you for your input. There's really nothing out there right now that appeals to women. I have some ideas that I bet your wife would love! ;)

I have ties from about half dozen tracks, also have various hats and t-shirts
that the track gave out or family bought me.

My wife has a couple of hats from tracks and pair of silver earrings of Secretariat, they have the same birthday

I have a $300 unbrella I got at Saratoga!

Thank you for your input. Will be sure to also market as gift ideas.

You just gave me an idea!!!:{>::{>::{>:

reminds me of my $400 Calder Race Course tote bag

Remember the goal is to create something that people will purchase gain exposure and then can be shopped as a giveaway at the track. Creating a niche market is a good idea, but you will have a tough time earning selling 75 X's a week. Shipping 15000 to a track for promotion is what you really want

1) Do you own horse racing inspired attire? If so, what type? (e.g. specific horse, track, race?) Everything from bobbleheads to t-shirts, sweat shirts, tote bags, pens, etc

2) Would you purchase such attire? If no, why not? If yes, what appeals to you and what doesn't? I used to buy hats from horsehats.com ( are they still in business? ). I don't think I'd purchase horse racing clothing unless it was related to a special event

3) If male, would your wife/significant other be interested in attire appealing to women?

Heck NO - she wears my horse tshirts at night, but would never buy for herself.

Majority of Horse Racing gear I see is crap and crap quality. I'd love a half zip nike pull over with a Saratoga, Del Mar, Gulfstream, etc. logo on it. Same goes for golf shirts (Keeneland does pretty good with this). Also all the hats are trash so if you could put a track logo on a Nike dri fit hat I think those would sell very well.

Thank you Freddy. I (we) couldn't possibly handle that kind of merchandise movement. I thinking of a few key tracks and items wouldn't necessarily be for "everyone." But giveaways would certainly create buzz. Not 15,000 though!

Thank you. I agree. Most of what is sold or given away is "crap." That's why I think my idea would work. I hope. ;)

I love your answers. I was hoping for more input from women on this board. Are there any other girls on here? :)

I use to buy from horsehats.com too and they are no longer
in business. They mostly sold hats (name of the horse, stable etc.,)
I bought some pictures of Secretariat and Seabiscut. from there too
Hoping one day to fit back into my Smarty Jones shirt I bought
I think your husband is right, it would be a tough go

Hi Senator,

Thanks for responding. Why do you agree w/hubby that it would be tough go? He thinks horseplayers would rather gamble $45 instead of buying a hat or shirt. He says "look around the track... do some of these people look like they care what they are wearing?":eek:

I say if marketed correctly and specifically, certain horseplayers would purchase items.

I guess it depends on what your marketing/selling. Is it a certain style of clothing/hats that you think are hip? Or is it like horse hats where you need a license to sell the horse merchandise - name specific?

CB.

I think you just hit the nail on the head why it won't work, and this is from somoeone in the textile/industry.

"If marketed correctly" There in lies your problem.
I'd say you're 45 or older. In today's world getting to your customer's will only succeed on-line. And the cost to get to those customers, which are very specific, will be too costly. The first questions are how much do you have to invest, what does success look like, and what is your supply and distribution?

I'm 36 :)
I don't have a retail background, but I have marketing degree. Hubby and I have been following horse racing since 2011. Game attire that is available on line and elsewhere skews older, and quite frankly, is uninspired.

If this idea is viable, I will sell my vintage Porsche :-( and we will dip into our savings/inheritance. I am in the process of putting together a marketing plan. Hubby is tasked with researching licenses, supply, distribution, etc.

Thank you so much for your thoughts. Very helpful.

Keep the Porsche; it's a finite market

I’d be mildly interested. My wife, not so much.

I wonder if you targeted race tracks if there is a market there, rather than direct to the buyer. I also wonder if you could build the business based on targeting buyers for major race days like the TC races and breeders cup.

Anyway, good luck!

This times 10. A niche market consisting of mostly older men.

Just wish we had the :$: to have it fixed properly. Mostly needs a paint job. Problem with heater (as is the case w/most of the older Porches I've been told). Only 83,000 miles. We had electrical work, wiring, all that taken care of a couple years ago. New cabriolet top. All that. But it just sits there. Plus, private parking but no garage at our condos. I love it. It was a graduation presebt from parents. But may be time to say goodbye if a nice older man can promise to take care of it :D

Cheers. Perhaps I'll target the larger tracks. I don't know if they have gift stores. Adding that to my research for the bricks & mortar component. Gulfstream looks like it might have a gift store (I mean... if you're going to have a "Gentleman's Club.") ;)

I very much appreciate your creativity and obvious enthusiasm.

If you don't have the capital to completely restore your Porsche, you don't have the capital to start a retail apparel (or any other) business that will survive. Yes, even if you do sell the car.

I should clarify. It's not that we don't have the capital to restore the Porsche, it's that we don't know if it's worth putting $20K in the car rather than starting a business. It may be this apparel business or another type of business. We have some money (inheritance, trust fund, savings). Just trying to figure out next steps in securing our future. I think we are doing all the right things... we have stocks, hubby has 401K, I am a consultant so I have an IRA, we own our condo, no debt... so we're pretty secure for 30-something-year-olds. ::fingers crossed:: We just want to do something fun, together, as a couple; and we love horse racing :)

You could buy a horse!

LOL! I've never even ever had a pet. No. I/we could never own a horse. The irony is that though we enjoy racing, I'd worry every race that he/she would break down :(

Mind you, hubby has entertained the thought. I don't know if it would be a good investment. Maybe being part of a group... it'd have to be a fun group though :) Wouldn't mind hanging out with Wes Welker or Gronk. Ha! As if.

Cheeky Bird : I read your post and thought something very different from many of the posts.

I was NOT thinking about racetrack swag material, but dress that fits for high end racing (Saratoga, Keeneland) that you might think "Hamptons".

Men's wear would include pastel sport coats and matching slacks, summer shirts, shoes, and such. For women, I was thinking summer dresses made for the average woman, not the size 2-6 crowd that you will see in boutiques across Saratoga's Broadway. Yes, this would be incredibly interesting if you found the right price range and fabrics. Absolutely something you would want to test market with a small collection to gather opinions.

Ding! Ding! Ding!:tro::tro: OMG, ScottJ, you totally get my thinking!!:{>:
The idea came about when we were at Delaware Park for the DP Handicap last weekend. We got "sky box" tickets on the 3rd floor, but roamed around from floor to floor. I noticed that the 3rd Floor people are completely different from the 1st floor people. My line would appeal to the 3rd floor people (although I LOVE the 1st Floor punters and all they do for the game... but this is business).

Many of the "3rd Floor" types already purchase posh outfits with brand names like Prada, Armani, Gucci, Dolce, J Crew, etc. So, I wouldn't want to bore them with the stuff they can get anywhere. My vision is for very unique horse racing related pieces. I've spent the week searching and researching. I haven't seen anything that comes close to what I'm thinking.

I've spent entire weekend obsessing over this, and I thank everyone who has given feedback. Start-up costs look that they are somewhere in the $25-$50K range. Totally doable. :)

(As an aside... a good mate of mine invented SPIRITFINGERZ. Look them up. Bloody SpiritFingerz, and she is now a millionaire!! In her 30's).