What’s in Store: The Brass Heart
August 10th, 2007, 3:15 pm · 2 Comments · posted by Sam Mittelsteadt
Brass Heart
Village Square at Dana Park, 3426 E. Baseline Road, Suite 110, Mesa
Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
Information: (480) 558-4391 or shopbrassheart.com
The core customer: Averages in her mid-20s, but can be anywhere from teens to 50s. Customers may be trend-driven, but the south East Valley tends to be more conservative — “definitely not a Scottsdale mentality, where the less fabric, the better,” says owner Sarah Greene, who was a buyer for Macy’s West in San Francisco before opening her store in November 2005 — so they veer toward tops with sleeves, such as ones by Free People that are so popular Greene can’t keep them in stock.
On the mannequin (left): Coral bead necklace, $20. White tank 
by Rix Chix, $56. Cropped track jacket by L.A. Made, $48. Denim miniskirt by Citizens of Humanity, $150.
Top seller: “Denim, especially by William Rast ($220 and up) and True Religion ($172 and up).”
High price point: Custo Barcelona silk top, $330.
Low price point: Coral bead necklace and other jewelry, $20.
Local lines: Sir Alistair Rai; Red Button 7; Raaca; Jet Lag hats; Tye Dyeables.
She’s excited about: Metallic jacket by Kensie ($100, right).”It’s amazing how many trends are wrapped up in this one jacket: The baby doll shape, the metallic fabric, the three-quarter-length sleeves,” Greene says. “In New York, this would be a fashion piece. In Arizona it’s lightweight outerwear.”
August 14th, 2007 at 7:51 am
Ok. I gave it a chance. Change is good, right? But…I’m sorry, I just can’t do it. The Sunday paper lacks pizzazz now. I missed my fashion news with my morning coffee, and I was ticked when I saw that 1/3 of the Arts and Lifestyle section was full-page ads! (That last part is a serious statement)
Sam, help a sister out!
August 19th, 2007 at 7:13 pm
I do miss the Sunday page, too — it was my baby since its creation back in 2000! — but I am thrilled to see so many ads in our section — they’re what keep me employed! (With a few more style-related ads, ahem, ahem, the content could always expand, too.) The section might be a little tighter than it used to, but we have a guaranteed minimum amount of editorial space (measured in columns) each week, to make sure the section doesn’t come out looking more like an advertorial than a newspaper.