Billy Reid Wants to Bring a Lil' Southern Charm to SF

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Billy Reid —the Alabama-based, CFDA-award winning designer— is eyeing a Bay Area expansion in 2015. Next week, Reid will open his twelfth U.S. store in New York's West Village, but the designer tells WWD that he wants to add "four to five stores over the next 12 months" in cities including Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco and Los Angeles. That, of course, raises questions about which neighborhood Reid would choose. While his vibe and price points seem well-suited to the retail corridors in Hayes Valley or Fillmore Street, we suspect that San Francisco's formula retail laws will push the designer to the latter. As Sandro, Rag & Bone, and Rebecca Minkoff have demonstrated, brands may face a prolonged Planning Department approval process on Fillmore, but it's still easier than opening in Hayes or the Mission.
· Billy Reid [Official Site]
· Billy Reid Sets Opening of Second New York Store [WWD]