| Sagesse: Rebirth of an original
Change is great, but saying goodbye is always tough – especially if you had a long and intimate relationship. When Talia Resin and her mother Romaine Weinrich closed the doors of Sagesse’s 17th Avenue and 7th Street S.W. location, they were ending a major chapter in their lives.
"We’ve been on 17th Avenue for 20 years. At first it was hard to say goodbye, but we embraced it as a positive change," says Talia on her final night at the old location.
Back in 1983, Sagesse was one of the first consignment stores to open on 17th Avenue S.W. There was not much retail on the strip, except Mount Royal Village, Rubaiyat and a few others, but Weinrich saw great potential, and Sagesse became a landmark.
Today, Weinrich and Resin continue their pioneering spirit and venture off the beaten path again, reopening Sagesse on the not-so-retail-populated 12th Avenue S.W.
"This is a really interesting area, which I think is up-and-coming, especially with all the changes happening on 11th Avenue," says Resin.
Sagesse’s new location is the former space of Iron Works, and is strategically situated between 8th Street and 12th Street S.W., two busy roadways with destination shops, on 12th Avenue, which happens to be a major conduit into downtown.
"I was shocked to find out from the City of Calgary that an average of 20,000 people drive down 12th Avenue everyday" says Resin.
Moving several blocks away from their old location makes going to Sagesse a little bit more of an effort for some of their loyal clients, but the new store is definitely worth the trip. Resin and Weinrich maintained the rustic character that people are acquainted with from the original shop, and avoided moving into a bland cookie-cutter space. The new store is situated in a historic building circa 1930s or ’40s, and Resin and Weinrich adopted some of its original features, like the high moulded ceiling, exposed brick walls and hardwood floors. The space is flooded with natural light from a very large storefront window, and the fitting rooms are spacious and draped with dramatic burgundy velvet curtains.
Sagesse still offers two floors of shopping, but this time clients will have to descend into the basement to find the great consignment pieces for men and women. You’ll be glad to know that it is no longer mandatory to hold onto the handrail while you walk down the stairs – the modern design of the staircase was the result of collaboration with Walker McKinley of McKinley Dang Burkart, which has developed spaces such as Sagesse's old neighbour, The Mercury.
Resin is brimming with ideas for her new space, which she modelled after innovative stores such as Houston in Seattle, and Colette in Paris.
"I’d like to make the store a multifunctional space where we can accommodate future events such as art shows and special nights," says Resin.
With this in mind, most of the clothes are displayed on rolling racks that will make it quick and easy to clear the space, and she added a contemporary sliding metallic loft door to block off the fitting rooms when there is a function in progress.
There will also be some new fashion lines added for fall – some of the pieces that have already arrived are terry towel lounge suits and funky parkas by Groggy, crystal beaded accessories by Think Sage, and handmade bags by Linear and Nana Bags, as well as a great assortment of gifts and greeting cards.
Another new initiative for Sagesse is the creation of an interactive Web site, sagesseworld.com, which is a collaboration Resin and her brother Jeth Weinrich of Red Motel, whose media-savvy eye has directed numerous short films and music videos, enhanced Web sites and created slick advertising images. The site features online shopping, a photographic art gallery, a featured artist link and music videos by artists such as Jann Arden, Sarah Harmer and 54-40. Jeth also created Sagesse’s new advertising image and slogan, "Sagesse: French for really cool store."
It will be cool to watch Sagesse evolve and make its mark in its new neighbourhood. "I’m excited about the change, and to have the courage to do it," says Resin. |
