The funny story I like telling is I was driving to Dayton to visit the store, and I was thinking about what other businesses I could start. I said, “Well, I don’t know anything about the shoe business. Half the people in the world are men. So maybe we could start a men’s business. I’m a man. Men don’t buy as much as women. But if our skill is in women, and stores and everything that women buy or wear.” You know? Shoes weren’t interesting. I didn’t think much about accessories then.
And I remember saying, “All the women I know wear underwear most of the time. All the women I know would like to wear lingerie all of the time.” And I’m just driving down the highway laughing my butt off and thinking what a funny thought that is. I’m driving back from Dayton and I’m laughing more to myself. “What does that mean? What’s the difference between lingerie and underwear?” Lingerie has emotional content. You know, men wear underwear, women wear underwear, but lingerie is… you know.
So I said, “I wonder why no one’s done that.” So I spent about two or three years as I was traveling around in Europe, Asia, department stores, specialty stores, and I said, “I can’t find a lingerie shop.” In my mind I said, “There must be this wonderful lingerie shop in Paris, or maybe in Zurich, or maybe in Berlin, or maybe in Vienna or just…” They don’t exist. And I said, “Wow!” So I had this imagination that there’s this wonderful lingerie store, except I can’t find one in Paris.