From Pop to shop
Olivia Newton-John is singing a new tune these days. The Australian-born singer has turned retailer. With partner Pat Farrar, she is expanding Koala Blue, a group of specialty stores with an Australian ambience, featuring basic apparel like fleece separates, T-shirts and sweaters.
The stores, which range in size from 1,000 to 2,000 sq. ft., also offer books, candy, costume jewelry and newspapers, as well as a line of children's apparel.
Prices for the unisex apparel range from as low as $13 for a T-shirt to as high as $120 for a hand-knit cotton sweater.
Koala Blue debuted three years ago on Los Angeles's Melrose Avenue. Recently, two new stores - one at the Westwood Pavilion shopping center in Los Angeles, the other at the new Horton Plaza in San Diego were opened.
These are the first of 200 company owned and franchised stores projected for U.S. and Canadian openings. Additional units are planned for other countries; the first overseas store should open in England later this year.
Newton-John, who actively participates in everything from concept to design, is no silent partner. She models and entertains via videos which customers can view while enjoying milkshakes and biscuits at the glossy milk bar
in the stores.
Photo caption: Olivia Newton-John (right) brings Australian flavor to the Koala Blue stores she opened with partner Pat Farrar.