Sad Day in Boulder - Nau is gone

Nau was one of the stores i was excited about opening at the 29th Street mall. It was unique and not the typical "mall" type store.

First and foremost - their clothing was functional, stylish, edgy and classic all at the same time. Their clothing materials interesting and durable.

I have several items from them and wear them frequently. I even bought Ricky a wool jacket - and he loves it. Says it keeps him warm on cold, windy days in NYC.

The business model was different than most retail stores - in order to keep a small footprint - the store employees encouraged the customers to pay for the item, they would donate 5% of the sale to a selected non-profit, and have the item shipped from their warehouse to your home.

In the days of instant gratification - I can see how this would not appeal to many consumers. It is a little disconcerting paying big $ for a nice piece of clothing and leaving empty handed. But once I wrapped my head around the idea - I didn't mind so much. I could try on the item at the store to check fit and having it shipped for free and an additional 10% off was worth it to me.

Business Week has a really good article about Nau closing. Interesting read(to me).

goodbye for Nau (pronounced "now") says their website. clever. it's a sad day...

oh well...so is the world