Retail
Breathing New Life Into Beef Eaters
Posted on 3/28/13 by Jill Bernstein » No Comments
At last! Today was the day we got official word on the mysterious goings-on at the old Beef Eaters building at 3rd Ave. and Camelback Road.
Rumors have abounded and well over 100 people, including families from the neighborhood, business people, bankers, builders and just plain folks, gathered at 10 a.m. this morning to celebrate the plans to revitalize the site. The excitement was palpable on everyone’s smiling faces.
From 1961 through 2006, Beef Eaters was a central gathering place for Phoenicians to share meals, celebrate special events, and craft the business deals that shaped our Valley. When owner Jay Newton died in 2006, the restaurant shut its doors and the building sat empty. Now adaptive reuse developers Venue Projects have stepped up with a remarkable vision to bring the site back to life.
Central Phoenix-based Venue Projects principle Lorenzo Perez told the crowd of Venue’s dedication to finding and adapting buildings with history, a story to tell, and a strong sense of place. Jon Kitchell, another principle with Venue added, “We’re salvage hounds and love finding materials worthy of putting back into place, like black leather booths and the Queen Creek adobe bricks of this place.”
Working with John Douglas Architects, they’ll be uncovering the bones of the building and incorporating the treasures they discover back into the new uses for the site.
“Jay Newton’s Beef Eaters legacy will continue with a new interpretation of his iconic gathering place,” said Kitchell. To honor the past, the new complex will be called The Newton.
The Newton rendering.
The Newton is co-owned by Venue Projects and two of the three businesses that will comprise the site. Co-owners include the nationally renowned, independent, community-based bookstore, Changing Hands, which will open its second Valley location at the site; and Justin and Michelle Beckett, current owners of Beckett’s Table, who will open a new neighborhood restaurant concept at The Newton. The third occupant will be The Lively Hood, a co-working space for creative professionals. Construction has begun and the goal is to reopen on November 1.
Front row, left to right: Gayle Shanks, Changing Hands; Leatrice Kitchell, Venue Projects; Lorenzo Perez, Venue Projects; Marsha Miller, The Lively Hood; Kristen Bornstein, The Lively Hood; Keryn Wilson, The Lively Hood Back row, left to right: Bob Sommer, Changing Hands; Cindy Dach, Changing Hands; John Douglas, John Douglas Architects; Julie Douglas, John Douglas Architects; Michelle Beckett, Beckett’s Table; Justin Beckett, Beckett’s Table; Aaron Genova, Venue Builders; Jon Kitchell, Venue Projects; Scott Stephens, Beckett’s Table; Katie Stephens, Beckett’s Table; Cal Detwiler, Venue Builders; Kyle Somers, Venue Builders. Photos courtesy of The Newton.
These three businesses will continue Jay Newton’s Beef Eaters legacy. Located just across the street from the light rail station, the bookstore, restaurant and co-working space will be active community gathering spaces that energize the neighborhood and encourage people to work together.
Shannon Scutari of Sustainable Communities Collaborative summed up the thrill experienced by everyone gathered when she referenced an old African proverb. “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others. This place,” said Scutari, “is going to be about going it with others.”
Tie One On
Posted on 3/07/13 by Kim Larkin » No Comments
One of Dapper+Dash’s many styles
Here at DPJ, we like to say, “A man can never own too many bow ties.” Okay, so maybe that doesn’t really get thrown around at the office, but it doesn’t mean it’s not true.
If the special man in your life doesn’t have enough (or any) handcrafted bow ties in his closet, there’s no need to fret. Dapper+Dash, a downtown Phoenix company founded by Aaron Kimberlin, is celebrating its one year anniversary by rolling out even more bow tie styles, a new feature product, Dapper+Dash Neckties, and more.
Dapper+Dash celebrates this vintage men’s accessory by adaptively reusing vintage clothing and other vintage materials to create a product as unique as the man who will wear it. They begin with the essentials. Only the best vintage ties and materials are considered. Once they pass the test, these materials, often found buried in closets and long forgotten, find new life. The materials are cleaned, re-purposed, cut by hand and stitched into one of three patterns to create dapper bow ties for a dashing man. Each tie comes with a convenient instruction card as well as the original fabric label as a reminder of the “old-world textile experience.”
The 1 Year Anniversary of Dapper+Dash brings together formal wear, food and community to celebrate one of this growing online haberdashery. The event will feature new products by Dapper+Dash on the site of Phoenix’s original menswear store, now restaurant, Hanny’s.
It also serves as the launch to a Kickstarter campaign created in partnership with local graphic designer, filmmaker and 2013 TED Fellow, Safwat Saleem, to raise funds for a new subscription service.
According to Kimberlin, “We are developing a monthly subscription service providing bow ties and neck ties sent right to you door. Dapper+Dash subscribers pick out their ties on the company’s website and place them on a list. They are delivered with an enclosed, prepaid envelope for return. Subscribers can keep the ties they pick for the month, or return them to get new ones delivered.”
The community is encouraged to come out and celebrate this haberdashery in style over food, drinks and music. To further engage Dapper+Dash fans, customers are invited to bring one necktie in exchange for $10.00 off a Dapper+Dash handcrafted bow tie or handcrafted necktie.
If you go
Event: 1 Year Anniversary
When: Friday, March 22, 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Where: Hanny’s, 40 N. First Street
Admission: Free
Misty’s World of Vintage
Posted on 12/18/12 by Kathleen Etzel » No Comments
Misty Navon Guerriero brings a wide range of designer and non-designer pieces to her downtown Phoenix vintage store at 818 N. Central Avenue, Vintage by Misty.
“The type of store I have, I don’t really feel like there is one out there,” Guerriero said. “So I felt like I had a great business concept and everybody would respond to it well, and they have.”
Since 2010, Guerriero has been the owner and curator of the vintage retail store, Vintage by Misty. She has built up a successful business on Central Avenue in downtown Phoenix, and online. She sells hand-picked clothing and accessories from the 60s to late 80s, with prices ranging from $40 to $400.
She wanted to cater to the local neighborhood surrounding her including Arizona State University’s downtown Phoenix campus, which is another reason Guerriero likes to keep a wide range of prices in her store.
“I never like to put a demographic on a business because I feel like if you do it right you can have something for anyone that walks in your door,” Guerriero said.
When Vintage by Misty opened in 2010, the economy was recovering from the recession and downtown Phoenix was on its way to new development. Although she had originally been working in Scottsdale, Guerriero chose to locate in downtown Phoenix to bring a small business with a new unique concept to the area.
“A lot of people and restaurants are coming to downtown because you can get amazing buildings and spaces at a great price,” Guerriero said.
Since Phoenix is a seasonal state, in the off summer months Guerriero has kept a profit by pushing her retail online. She joined Etsy, an online store for handmade and vintage items, and has been successful selling to people all over the world. Her in-store retail is still more profitable because people want to see and try on vintage, Guerriero said.
As an entrepreneur, she handles all aspects of the business. From being the face of Vintage by Misty, to doing the accounting, networking and marketing she has taken on multiple jobs within her store to form a brand.
“With a vintage store too you are really the only person that is marketing you,” Guerriero said. “You can’t compare a vintage store to Nordstrom; I mean it’s two completely different businesses. You have all those lines that Nordstrom carries promoting themselves and then you have Nordstrom on top of that promoting it.”
But the atmosphere in Vintage by Misty cannot be compared to any department store. The store is decorated with fun colors and décor of different cultures and eras. Racks of beautiful designers like Chanel, Gucci and Dior hang throughout the store. The moment you step into Vintage by Misty you leave downtown Phoenix and walk into a new bohemian, chic world.
“It’s the little things that make a huge difference, because everybody needs a break,” Guerriero said. “This world is so crazy. We’re all stressed out and I think this is what makes Vintage by Misty so fun. You come into this whole different world and you just play and you feel pretty.”
As far as expanding Vintage by Misty, Guerriero doesn’t have any plans as of now. She does private trunk shows known as “pop-ups” and will continue to brand herself online and in the Phoenix area.
“There’s no limit if you know how to market yourself,” Guerriero said.
Ranch Road Boots Delivers Custom Kicks
Posted on 10/02/12 by Cortney Kaminski » No Comments
Arizona naturally has a western edge to its culture, but in the urban setting of Downtown Phoenix this can oftentimes be lost. Sarah Stokes of Ranch Road Boots is determined to change that one pair of boots at a time.
Ranch Road Boots is a rapidly growing company with a down-home feel, staffed full time by Stokes and her dog Skillet. Their boots are made in Texas – ensuring that each pair has a little of that Texan heart and soul stitched right into them – but their operations are based out of Levine Machine in downtown’s warehouse district.
“Downtown Phoenix is small but mighty,” Stokes proclaims. “It’s the coolest downtown and maybe one of the United States’ best kept secrets.”
Owner Sarah Stokes models the mobile “Boot Saloon,” bringing custom cowboy boots to local events. Photographs by James Mann, courtesy of Ranch Road Boots.
Her customers live across the United States, and Stokes came up with an innovative way to bring them the luxury of a custom fit and style in the comfort of their own home.
Stokes created a “fit kit” that she sends to customers where they are able to watch a video and read a guide on how to measure their feet to ensure a perfect fit. The kit also includes swatches of leather for the customer to choose from, ensuring the boot is exactly what the customer wants.
“These boots are beautiful, wearable and as at home in New York City as West Texas,” Stokes said.
Each pair of Ranch Road Boots takes roughly 12 weeks to be completed from the start to finish, and comes with a sterling silver nail on the inside of the left heel. Stokes said that it is a reminder that you are wearing a serialized pair of boots handmade just for you.
“Ranch Road Boots proves classics don’t have to be boring or purely utilitarian,” Stokes said. “Our leathers, craftsmanship and customer service is second to none.”
And as boot buyers know, if you want serious boots you’re going to pay a fairly serious price. But hey, that’s the cowboy way.
For those who are lucky enough to live in the Valley, you can visit the mobile Boot Saloon at special locations that change frequently. To find the next stop for the Boot Saloon, follow @ranchroadboots on Twitter for updates.
Phoenix Skin Care Line Ranks Among Fastest-Growing Companies
Posted on 9/11/12 by Kate Kunkel » No Comments
President and CEO Cherylanne DeVita. Photo courtesy of DeVita.
For all-natural skin care products provided by one of America’s fastest growing private companies, look no further than your own local retailers.
DeVita Natural Skin Care, a Phoenix-based cosmeceutical line, placed among prominent independent companies like Yelp, Chobani Yogurt and KIND Healthy Snacks on the 2012 list by Inc. Magazine, the Inc. 500/5000.
The skin care line ranked at number 2077 on this list of independent entrepreneurs after experiencing a three-year sales growth of 127 percent.
Available at Healthy Habit Health Foods and other retailers throughout the Valley, the certified woman-owned business offers high-quality products that are PETA certified, vegan and 100 percent paraben-free.
Cherylanne DeVita, Ph.D., DeVita’s president and CEO, said she started the business after repeatedly finding herself disappointed by the ingredients used in other skin care products.
“The products I was purchasing were expensive, and I felt as though the American woman was being taken advantage of by the skin care system,” she said. “So I decided to come up with a natural line without any toxic preservatives in it.”
DeVita’s products use organic aloe vera bases rather than the typical water bases, she explained, and all of the aloe vera comes from Arizona desert plants.
Using this type of base allows the products to absorb into the skin faster and deeper.
The natural ingredients in this skin care line allow customers to experience rapid moisturizing effects, the diminishing of fine lines and wrinkles, and the reduction of blemishes, DeVita added.
She said the success of her company came from careful timing, and also by developing a product she knew women wanted and demanded.
“There’s really a need out there for women to find effective, safe beauty products,” DeVita said. “Also, we like our beauty products beautiful and elegant, so it was the perfect time for a line to come along that uses natural ingredients, that is safe, and that is beautiful.”
Companies on the 2012 Inc. 500/5000 list report creating over 400,000 jobs in three years, and the aggregate revenue among these businesses hit $299 billion, according to a press release.
DeVita said that when she found out her company made the list, she was stunned.
“When you start a company, you’re so busy working that you don’t take time to stop and look back at what you’ve accomplished,” she said. “We are very honored to be among a group of great start-up companies that have become household names in America.”
Featured photo: DeVita products at Healthy Habit Health Foods.
