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Retailers target men who like to shop.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution April 1, 2005 Byline: Christine Van Dusen Apr. 1–If you see Jonathan Hyla wearing sunglasses while digging through stacks of designer jeans and loading up on trendy T-shirts, he may be hiding a hangover, but he’s certainly not trying to hide who he is.

He is a man who loves to shop. And he is not ashamed.

“I’ve always liked it,” said Hyla, the 25-year-old producer of Star 94′s “Cindy & Ray” radio show. “Jeans are the top of the list. And — I’ll sound like such a girl, but — shoes. I have more shoes than the average guy. There’s just certain things that I think make an outfit, if you will.” You can credit shows like “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” or the rise of the metrosexual or the evolution of gender roles in our society. Whatever the reason, shopping has become an increasingly acceptable and popular pastime for younger, single guys like Hyla. lenoxsquaremall.net lenox square mall

Men in the 25- to 49-year-old age group are responsible for more than 55 percent of the buying power among males — a market that is expected to grow nearly 25 percent to $6.7 trillion by 2009, according to a recent report by market research publisher Packaged Facts.

So retailers, in an effort to get as much of this money as possible, are using man-centric marketing messages to push moisturizer, hair mousse, designer jeans and accessories in man-friendly store environments.

At the new Nordstrom at Phipps Plaza, for example, there is a bank of flat-screen televisions tuned to news and sports in the men’s shoe department. here lenox square mall

At a Macy’s in Miami, the cosmetics area recently was expanded 24 percent to make room for men’s products and a private spa.

“They’re doing a great job of marketing this,” Hyla said. “It’s definitely become more accepted to shop.

“Some of my more rugged friends might make fun of me … but I like to take care of myself.” Jane Arrendale Sims began capitalizing on this trend a year ago when she opened a men’s department at Blue Genes, her 3-year-old high-fashion boutique for women near Lenox Square mall in Buckhead.

The men’s side has seen greater growth in its first year than the women’s side did in its first 12 months — and the women’s department had a spectacular first year, she said.

“It’s incredible,” said Arrendale Sims, co-owner. “The men buy a lot more at one time than the women do.” Hyla admits he often buys more than he needs. But he’s also a focused shopper; he doesn’t dilly-dally around the racks.

“I don’t need to stare at the jeans for five hours,” he said.

“Guys are quick in, quick out. I don’t spend a lot of time, as long as everything is easily accessible and I can get help quickly.” Johnny Fulmer is another man who sees shopping as a perfectly legitimate male hobby. As co-owner of Church Street Market in Marietta, he encounters many like-minded people.

“We’ve seen a lot more men here over the last two years,” said Fulmer, who with his wife sells gourmet food, flowers, kitchen accessories and willow furniture. “Men see their spouses working a lot of hours, and they want to pitch in and help. It’s not fair if the husband and wife both work all day and then the wife has to do everything.” Gender roles are no longer as concrete as they appeared in the past, particularly among men and women in the under-40 age group, said Roger D. Blackwell, a consumer behaviorist and marketing professor at Ohio State University.

“Consumer preferences are influenced by variables such as education and careers, and for younger college-educated consumers, the education and careers are nearly identical,” he said.

“There are still obvious differences between genders for some products, but there is a lot of blurring.” Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.