WRK is SO excited to share this little piece of apparel heaven with all of our Kentucky Gentlemen. If you’re in search of the perfect attire for your groomsmen or simply a great gift for your gents, then we have just what you’re looking for. The Grunion Run Groomsmen Shop is affordable and stylish, with a vintage touch! Check out the fabulous array of products and get to know this uber cool couple behind The Grunion Run a little better!
Oh, and there’s a little added perk…Wedding Row readers receive a 10% discount until July 15, 2012 using the code TWR10.
What is The Grunion Run Groomsmen Shop?
Inspired by the growing trend toward more creative, less traditional wedding looks, The Grunion Run Groomsmen Shop is an online shop run by married couple, Kevin and Yun. It was created to offer grooms and brides an easy and convenient way to find stylish, affordable pieces for their groomsmen. With so many wonderful and amazing resources available for brides and bridesmaids, we wondered, what about the guys? Thus was born The Grunion Run Groomsmen Shop. It is an online-only shop, though we are based in LA and ship everything from here.
The other really important factor about the shop was to shatter the notion that only expensive products can be good quality. We try to use really high-quality, great feeling fabrics for all of our products. All of our shirts are 100% cotton. Because we are a small online business and try to keep our operations as lean as possible we are able to offer really competitive prices to our customers.
How did The Grunion Run come to life?
The seeds for the line were actually planted 6 years ago when Kevin and I got married. We didn’t want the guys to be in traditional tuxedos or dark suits. We preferred vests, but we had such a hard time finding affordable options that were stylish and fit our vision. The boys still looked good but we never actually found what we wanted and settled on outfits more because of discounted sale prices than the style.
During that time, Kevin and I had just started a different company so I never pursued the inkling I felt towards this sorely lacking part of the wedding industry. It was never too far from my mind though. Through the years, on the side, I have helped a number of friends and family design their wedding invitations and collateral and loved being involved with weddings. I was constantly perusing the magazines and of course, also became an avid follower of several weddings blogs when they started sprouting up a couple years ago.
Finally over time, the voice in my head grew louder and I could no longer ignore what I really wanted to work on creatively…and I was somewhat surprised, given all the incredible design developments in the wedding industry, that the menswear segment had not really evolved at all. I kept hearing from brides who were still having a hard time finding non-traditional options and while there are certainly mainstream retailers who have great clothes, one problem with traditional retailing is that the stock rotates by season. So, by the time a couple decided on the look they wanted, or got their groomsmen to go buy the look, many of their choices were no longer available.
That really pushed me towards the idea that starting a groomsmen shop focused on a very specific style and that stocked products for the long-term rather than by season was something the market could really use. So, last summer I talked it over with Kevin and finally took the leap to begin The Grunion Run.
Where is The Grunion Run headed?
I’m really excited to expand the line beyond the basics. We are planning to add more patterned neckwear — florals, stripes, polka dots — and I would love to add a larger range of accessories, especially unique items that can be given as groomsmen gifts, etc. This summer we will be adding new sock styles and a cool line of shoes, and hopefully by fall we will be able to release some new clothing styles.
Tell us a little bit about yourselves….
Kevin and I have known each other our whole lives. Our parents were friends long before we were born. Somewhere along the way, despite growing up far apart (me in Toronto, Canada; Kevin in San Diego, CA) our childhood friendship turned into something more and once we decided to be together, we have never really been apart! We have worked together since before we were married and started our first company together just after that. We spend a lot of time together! It works well because we have differing skill sets — he runs the business, I handle the creative end of things — but we still rely on each other’s input for what we are doing.
What did Kevin and his groomsmen wear?
Our wedding colors were lavender, yellow and green, and we really liked the idea of tone on tone shirts and ties. So Kevin wore a lavender shirt and tie, and the groomsmen wore yellow shirts and ties (those were not easy to find!). Kevin paired his with a light gray suit, and while we were hoping the groomsmen could wear gray vests and pants, the only vests we could find at the time were dark and came with three piece suits, so in the end, the groomsmen ended up in dark gray suits because we happened upon a warehouse sale that we couldn’t pass up.
Now you can see evidence of the outfit we wish we could have found in our line today — the pale yellow tie, in the shade and style we would have preferred, and our gray vest. The two pieces that started off The Grunion Run!
A day in the life…
The mornings are generally spent packing and fulfilling orders. Then I turn to our social media efforts and try to plan new blog posts, twitters, facebook updates, etc. to try to get our name out as much as possible. That seems like a full-time job in and of itself these days! The rest of the time is spent planning for new products and goading Kevin into letting me take pictures of him in different outfits for the blog. He prefers to handle the business from behind the scenes rather than be the face of the company, though I gently nudge him to be such daily!
What projects or collaborations do you currently have in the works?
We have just taken photos for a new look book that we are hoping to release soon, along with a promo video which should be fun. Otherwise, as we are still fairly new to the market, we are really just focused on getting the word about the shop and our clothes.
Kevin’s favorite? Red checked Bow tie
Yun’s favorite? The red chambray necktie (love that fabric!) and the black necktie, also because of the matte, slightly faded fabric which has a look and feel that is really quite different from other black ties in the market.
Don’t forget! Wedding Row readers receive a 10% discount until July 15, 2012 using the code TWR10.
