Gramicci Opens Boulder Showroom as Part of Its New "Being There" Initiative

BOULDER, CO--(Marketwire - April 2, 2009) - Gramicci, the unique and eclectic lifestyle outdoor apparel company, has opened a showroom in downtown Boulder. As part of a soon-to-be-launched initiative called "Being There," the new showroom is intended to make it easier for the company to "be there" and better service its retail customers.

Located at 1877 Broadway, Suite 100, the showroom will serve as home base for Patricia Babka, who joined the Agoura Hills, Calif.-headquartered company as vice president of sales earlier this year.

With economic conditions forcing many retailers to limit travel to trade shows or to apparel manufacturers' headquarters, Gramicci sought out a central and easily accessible location to bring its products closer to the trade.

"Colorado is a central location for our industry and Boulder represents Gramicci's unique, outdoors personality," explained Babka. "In particular, with its proximity to Denver, the city is easily accessible to customers in the Rocky Mountain region, the Midwest and the East Coast."

Sustainability is important at Gramicci and the company is mindful of the environment as shown in its efforts to produce natural and organic apparel as well as to encourage employees and consumers to bike, walk or car pool to work. In keeping with that goal, the Boulder showroom's location was selected so that customers can walk there from hotels or to the city's numerous restaurants. "This is just one more avenue we are taking to make it easier for our accounts to get to know Gramicci better," said Babka.

The opening of the showroom is one of several steps Gramicci is taking to strengthen a 26-year-old iconic brand of the outdoor industry. "This is the initial phase of a program Gramicci is formally launching in May called 'Being There,' which is designed to assist our customers with navigating through a challenging retail economy," said Gramicci president Marty Weening. "We are fortunate to be in a position to do this right now. The current market conditions require us to step up and heighten our customer services and be more accessible. We call this 'Being There.'"

About Gramicci

Gramicci, considered the 'soul brand' of the outdoor industry, is first associated with the iconic styles of the industry, including its introduction of the G-climbing pant and short over 26 years ago. In recent years, the company has evolved into a nature-inspired lifestyle apparel brand. Gramicci is now known for its advanced organic natural fiber technologies, engineered "freedom of movement" comfort design, and its "perfectly imperfect" weathered fabric and garment finishes. Its lines are sold within three distinct product segments: G1 - First Generation Gramicci, G Series - Next Generation Gramicci, and the Greenicci all-organic/recycled collection. For more information, visit: www.gramicci.com.

Contact Information: Media Contacts: Outdoor trade and consumer media Beth Cochran, BC/OC What's Up PR (406) 579-7909 general apparel, retail and business media Lisa Kreda Parness & Associates (732) 290-0121