After all this time, I still love
Salinas Swimwear. Tropi-Ties began carrying the Salinas brand back in 1999. We were the very first online retailers to stock their sweet, little bikinis. I have to say, I wasn't really keen on carrying Salinas at first. It seemed like it was just another one of many Brazilian bikini labels to have hit our shores during that time. Shelly Scott, the rep for Salinas back then, politely and continually prodded me to stop by their booth at ASR. One day I finally did. I could not believe how cute the stuff was! With lots of, "I told you so," comments coming from Shelly, I reviewed the line. There were unique bodies with loads of sex appeal, not to mention tiny bums, done up in fun colors and prints, with embroidery, sequins and other embellishments...just adorable! I had not seen anything like it in the California surf market, or the entire US, for that matter. The price point was great too. Oddly enough, I was the only buyer in their booth that day. It was hard to believe that the word had not yet gotten out about these fab Brazilian bikinis. Of course, that didn't last for long. The following season the Salinas booth was twice the size and it was standing room only.
Salinas quickly became our number one seller and really helped to build our own company. It flew off the shelves as quickly as it came in. Everyone, including our warehouse staff, could hardly wait to see the what the newest shipments revealed. Every bikini was a surprise. All of the people from Salinas were wonderful and business relationships were good and strong. Salinas was now distributed everywhere in the US, including major department stores, surf shops and online retailers.
But then came the economy. Although all of us have struggled through these rough times, Salinas took it especially hard. Sales slackened, their trusted distribution faltered and a new generation of swimsuit buyers, none savvy to this iconic brand, emerged. The flow of merchandise slowed to a crawl and it looked like the end for them. I reluctantly continued to carry their bikinis, partly because I felt a sense of loyalty, partly out of hope that they would return to their former glory. They toughed it out and kept the brand going.
As the economy comes out of this recession, we're now seeing a change for the better for Salinas. The designs are fresh and sassy and with new US distributors, the merchandise flow is making headway again. Young women are rediscovering Salinas Swimwear and sales are coming back. The new
2011 Salinas bikinis are cuter than ever and we expect strong sales for this brand next season. I am confident that they will make a full recovery and be back even better than ever.
~ C.
