There’s no better shopper than a woman! - A thought that’s lingering on many retailers’ minds.

Women hold over 71% of the US shoppers, so accordingly, enterprises shift to suit their needs. With a natural tendency to update their appearance, women are in constant search of suitable products.

Back in the 1960s, not many stores implemented women’s fashion as a trend. To make use of the situation, many companies included more female-meant products, especially jewelry.

Rowland and Sylvia Schaefer found a way to bring the uproar of women shoppers directly to their store, simply by giving them recognition. By provoking the female sense of fashion, their boutique, Claire’s, won the hearts of millions of ladies.

Claire’s is an online and physical shopping center meant for the fairer sex. It is the ‘cool’ girl’s new BFF!

To unravel the story of how Sylvia and Rowland slowly climbed Claire’s to the top of the fashion ladder, continue reading about it.

Knit by knit

Rowland Schaefer was born in Chicago, Illinois on June 18, 1916. Even though born in the early 1900s, Rowland was extremely forward-oriented. Young Rowland possessed great wit and smarts and could engage in a conversation with anyone. Even though Rowland could easily finish it, he had to drop out of school to work with the family on enduring the Great Depression.

Rowland had to bounce from job to job, working as an adult to divert his family from starvation. Rowland’s relatives advised him to make use of his charisma and work in retail. Even though Rowland did not choose retail at his bidding, he found stability in selling products to people. With that, as the 1930s passed, Rowland began selling vacuum cleaners, vending machines, and other household products.

Rowland literally struck gold when he got a job at an oil exploration center. He worked with construction in detail, but he knew that this too will pass. As Rowland spent hours working for very little money, his family could barely make ends meet. Rowland disliked the thick dust and hard labor but stayed confident in his goals.

Rowland promised that his family will not endure a miserable life eternally. Determined enough, Rowland vowed to provide enough for everyone to be safe, content, and healthy. This is when Rowland decided to switch career paths and return to retail. With the money made from the oil ring, Rowland decided to invest in his own goal of starting a business.

This time, Rowland had luck on his side, mainly because of the growing popularity of fashion and accessories. In the early 1960s, Rowland launched Fashion Tress Wigs, a platform dedicated to synthetic and human hair wigs.

Passion for Fashion

Rowland Schaefer had a hunch for business, and his coworkers noticed that. Business-oriented Rowland was competitive in spirit and made use of the situation.

Rowland was one of the first owners to implement global sourcing and vertical integration. He oversaw the manufacturing and importing processes in the United States, but used raw materials and labor from abroad.

Throughout his years of working, Rowland had always thought big. Rowland’s family encouraged his success and insisted he dwells deeper into the world of women’s fashion. At first, Rowland acquired 500 wig departments, which would be found within shopping malls.

Rowland decided to take his wig company, Fashion Tress Wigs public in trading in 1961. This was to accelerate the over-counter-trading processes and double down on the capital.

In 1973, Fashion Tress renamed itself into FT Industries, in order to expand on more versatile markets. This was the exact moment Rowland decided that his stores would branch out into women’s accessories.

More and more commercials included jewelry like diamond rings, pearled earrings, and engraved bracelets, so Rowland had to be creative. Because wigs were no longer trending, Rowland Schaefer sold the wig business but maintained the small retail store. There he began his journey with Claire’s Boutiques. Rowland chose the name Claire’s with the intention of mimicking the name of the girl next door, which every girl will like.

A Fashionable Novelty

What made Claire’s boutique so influential is implementing ear-piercing and jewelry for women. This was never before seen, and in 1978, it was still a shocker.

Claire’s way of doing business attracted dozens of girls that wanted to pierce their ears for the first time while shopping at the comfort of their neighborhood mall.

Claire’s Boutiques also started to include more hats, handbags, suitcases, and ear jewelry. More and more women began to bring their husbands along while shopping, so Rowland introduced fashion lines suitable for men.

A bit further down the road, Rowland Schaefer shifted his opinions and decided to invest in retail, instead of in jewelry. Now, Rowland’s brand was renamed Claire’s Stores Inc., with the intent to attract as many customers as possible.

By the fall of 1991, Claire’s Stores had opened 1,000 shops in different malls across America.

The early 90s were witnessing changes in music, culture, appearance, and fashion. With teen girls being the top customer in every shopping mall, the store transformed to reflect a more female-friendly world. Hats, scarves, earrings, and stick-on tattoos were some of the new objects every girl would want in their dresser.

During the chaotic business period, Rowland met his future wife, Sylvia.

Bumpy Roads

Even though the company had flourished by owning stores in different malls, it was losing the race against time. Women’s clothing and fashion moved forward with every day, and thanks to influencers, all accessory fashion moved online.

In the past, Claire’s Stores were listed on the NYSE and raised $1 billion a year, and had a market capitalization of $2.5 billion. Some numbers just weren’t adding up.

Despite it being a troubling period, Rowland was not giving up without a fight.

But, unfortunately, after a very bumpy period, Rowland suffered a stroke in 2002. Afterward, Rowland decided to turn to his family and stepped down from running Claire’s. From then on, Rowland would focus his life on philanthropy and open many foundations in his and his wife’s name.

His daughters, Marla and Bonnie, took over running the firm until 2007. They then sold it to private equity. In 2018, the fashion stores had all moved digital, so it was hard for Claire’s to keep up. Rowland’s pride and joy, Claire’s Stores, declared bankruptcy, which it quickly emerged from. In September 2021, Claire’s announced another initial public offering.

Claire’s, Today

Claire’s headquarters are still based in Rowland’s native town of Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Including the fact that the store had existed since the 1960s, it has grown to an employee list of 10001+ workers.

Having to overcome many hurdles, Claire’s also had to face some fierce competition from companies like Maison Clio Blue, Francesca’s, and Folli Follie, among others.

This beloved women’s store is now present in over 47 countries in the US, China, and Europe, with 400+ more stores in other parts of the world.

The store is regarded to be the No.1 ear-piercer that teen girls have used for the first time. Claire’s claims to pierce 3 million ears a year, on average.

A month ago, the company announced plans on adding 180 store-in-store locations for the upcoming year. They also plan on spreading to Walmart.

Claire’s also plans on starting 35 more standalone stores, which will mostly be scattered around shopping centers.

By never backing down and accepting helpless fate, Rowland managed to introduce the pinnacle of a whole chain of female accessories. By switching from idea to idea and being open to renovation, Rowland adapted to the environment and prospered greatly.

Even though it’s no longer the number one pick for every modern female, it stands as a constant reminder of the roots of female fashion! The reason why Claire’s prospered for so many years is that it was the first store to ever give women a voice, and have them do the orders.

That’s why Claire’s will always be a store holding a special place in many girls’ hearts!