Phoenicia gets some love from the Arizona Republic:
On a typical blisteringly hot Friday afternoon in downtown Phoenix, most people are trying to escape from the workweek, heading to their air-conditioned cars and home for the weekend.
But inside the seemingly abandoned brick building at 821 N. Third St., behind the windows covered with parchment paper, two young men are hard at work. Kyle Simone and Jeff Mann are putting together their store and gallery, Association, in time for a grand-opening party on August’s First Friday.
The shop will be split into two sections, one that sells young men’s clothing and the other that will house a gallery with monthly rotating artists.
“We think downtown (Phoenix) is going to really see some growth in the next five to 10 years, and we really wanted to be a part of that,” Mann said. “There are a lot of things going on down here, with ASU and new businesses coming.”
Although many businesses are closing their doors in this slumping economy, Mann and Simone saw an opportunity.
“We are privately funded and have been working on this idea for a long time,” Mann said. “We thought this would be a good time to catch the economy on an upswing. People look at us like we’re crazy, but we feel like we are in the right place at the right time to do this.”
Mann said they have prepared themselves for worst-case scenarios if their concept doesn’t catch on.
The hardest part about the endeavor is that the project is almost completely DIY. On a recent Friday, the owners had just installed shiny new wood flooring, something neither had any experience with. But while there are many new elements, they also want to keep original parts of the building intact.
“The wall separating the store and gallery looks destroyed and is covered with graffiti, and it’s a juxtaposition of the new, clean floor,” Simone said.
On the retail side, there will be T-shirts and other clothing from such brands as 3sixteen from New York City, and April 77 and HIXSEPT, both Parisian labels that the owners said target an 18- to 35-year-old demographic.
“We are really trying to sell a European and international style, and looks that are really influenced by New York, San Francisco, Japanese and French high-end boutiques,” Simone said.
There are competitors in the area, namely Grandiose Records & Gear, but Simone said he and Mann tried to pick brands that aren’t widely represented in Arizona, and they hope to introduce new fashion-forward styles to the Valley.
Travis Cota, a friend of the owners, will be the first artist featured during the grand opening with his exhibit “Built From Scratch.” Cota helped with all the design elements, including the logo, Web site, fliers and more.
The store got its name because it’s easily recognizable to Valley residents. It also refers to the ancient Phoenician alphabet. Letters are inscribed on business cards and flyers, and the logo looks like amalgamation of several letters.
“It’s one of the most influential ancient languages . . . and since we built something from the ground up, we wanted to go back to a primitive culture for our concept,” Simone said. “The branding and imagery was really important to us.”
Mann and Simone have been aggressively promoting their business for months.
“We used direct marketing, giving people a handshake and business card,” Mann said. “We used photography as a way to get people’s attention, by taking pictures of them at local events and handing out our cards. Some people were a bit confused because they thought we were just taking photos and that was the end. But it ended up being a good marketing idea.”
When asked about support from other indie shops in the area, the men exchanged nervous glances. The building used to be artist enclave Holgas, and Simone said there’s a lot of history there. But he said there has been a warm reception from several businesses, and the owners hope that after their grand-opening bash (featuring DJs William Reed, Issa and the Ghouliez), they will quickly become part of the tight-knit downtown community.
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