What’s in Store: Velvet
November 30th, 2007, 4:20 pm · Post a Comment · posted by Sam Mittelsteadt
Velvet Boutique
Shops on Warner, 235 E. Warner Road, Suite 12, Gilbert
Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday
Information: (480) 632-7467 or velvetboutiqueaz.com
On weekends, East Valley moms load up the car and head straight to the malls, with their familiar mix of (relentlessly homogenous) stores and restaurants, where they can get everything for everyone at once. So it makes sense to Cindy McDonal
d, who owns Velvet Boutique with Meg Bergeson, that weekdays are the busiest times at their store.
“We’re their quick little fix,” McDonald says, where moms can find something to add a bit of sparkle to their lives, thanks to the crystals that bedeck everything from hats to jeans to jewelry and tees. In fact, the women selected the store’s location because of its proximity to a nearby huge gym that’s a magnet for families — what better way for Mom to reward herself for those workouts than with a new top or handbag?
Core customer: Moms who still consider themselves “girls,” no matter their age. Gilbert women typically “don’t always want to get ‘dressed up,’ ” McDonald says, but don’t want to 
blend into the background with a wardrobe in boring basics. “Everyone wants that little embellishment,” she says, so crystals and screenprints abound — from sparkly hats by positive-message line, Faith Connexion ($94), to tongue-in-cheek “Hell in a Handbag” purses.
On the mannequin (above): Cotton tunic dress by Miss Me, $85. Jeans by True Religion, $284. Heart necklace, $34. Love necklaces set by Sisi Amber, $92.
Local lines (right): Mostly accessories, like chunky, funky (and customizable) necklaces by Rock Candy of Gilbert, and the omnipresent crystal-embellished Havaianas flip-flops ($98). A new offering is necklaces made of soda bottle caps — Cherry Crush, Diet Coke, Tab — decorated with crystals ($42).
High price point (below): Handbags by Isabella Fiore (“Live to Love, Love to Live” Jordan bag, $675) 
and Tylie Malibu are “extremely popular,” McDonald says. Never heard of the latter? Look for buttery-soft leather bags with color-coordinated crystals on the strap. They can even be 
customized with names or floral patterns. “Women who know them don’t say, ‘I like your purse,’ ” McDonald says. “They say, ‘I love your Tylie.’ ”
Low price point (right): “We didn’t realize jewelry (which starts around $20) would be such a big seller,” McDonald says, but she estimates it constitutes about 30 percent of the year-old store’s business.
Top-sellers (left): Embellished tops by Ed Hardy and its sister line, Christian Audigier. “I think they’re really popular because they’re a little edgy, and people see them on movie stars,” McDonald says. ”You feel like you’re getting a lot of color.” (“God Save the Queen” T-shirt by Christian Audigier, $120 — which, for the record, is $56 less than it’s sold for on Audigier’s own Web site.)
She’s excited about: Nanjing Navy jeans by Fortune Denim ($218), which also illustrate how Gilbert women dress up “dressing down.” Rather than a basic pair of jeans, these feature detailing on the sailor-style buttons, which adds a little extra visual interest.
