The line named Sarah Flint started as a luxury footwear brand. It has since expanded to include a number of high-end accessories made in Italy, such as its shoes.
The consumer-oriented company has created many popular pop-ups in New York, Washington, and Dallas. On Friday, Sarah Flint’s first permanent store will open in Nashville’s The Mall in Green Hills.
Flint said, “We’ve looked a lot at our e-commerce sales and where that focus is, and Nashville is a really great market for us. It’s also a very fast growing market right now. I have a special affection and affinity for Nashville, having spent so long there. My younger sister has been to Vanderbilt, and it has always been one of my favorite places to visit.”
Fashion has been Flint’s passion since her origins in Massachusetts. The young, up-and-coming entrepreneur eventually moved to the Big Apple to study accessory design at the Fashion Institute of Technology before moving to Italy to study manufacturing.
“The reason I did this was because I really wanted to understand the kind of fit and craftsmanship that went into designing luxury shoes,” Flint said.
Flint identified a problem with how the shoes women spent the most money on were also the most painful and impractical.
“That’s why I kind of went there — to see the engineering that goes into shoe design — and launched my collection in Fall 2013. So we’re in our ninth year now.”
What sets Sarah Flint shoes apart from its competitors is a heavy emphasis on details, like small handcrafted flowers or artisanal additions for comfort like bow support or rubber inserts. These features are usually not found in fancy shoes.
A shopper who frequents Sarah Flint’s Green Hills establishment would be expected to be similar to the brand’s e-commerce customer – a woman who is discerning in terms of quality, who values craftsmanship and has a penchant for understated elegance. Famous fans of Sarah Flint include Cindy Crawford, Meghan Markle, Serena Williams and Karlie Kloss.
To celebrate the retail opening, Sarah Flint has a packed calendar. The brand has an extensive Brand Ambassador program of micro-influencers, a large group of whom are in Nashville. There will be celebrations for brand ambassadors, special events for personal shoppers for vendors in the area and champagne toasts for all customers who want to stop by.
The Green Hills store will be modeled on Flint’s living room, as in previous pop-ups, adding a personal touch to the space.
“We have our overall aesthetics that travel from store to store, and we work with different establishments for each element of the store,” Flint said. Blue and white china, attractive florals, and comfortable sofas will decorate the area.
As a brand dedicated to women, Sarah Flint is also hosting a special event with female interior designers.
“We’ve teamed up with Gracie Studio, and are doing an event with a number of interior designers who will be bringing clients in,” she said.
Sarah Flint has partnered with Oomph for furniture, Royal Copenhagen for fine china, Annie Selke for rugs and Framebridge for art and framing accessories as well.
Another key feature is the unique experimental walls inside the store. All sizes of best selling shoe styles will be shown to potential buyers for easy wearing before purchase.
Finally, Flint said the team worked with a local baker throughout because tea and chocolate cookies are served in the shop at all times.
“We’re in the process of finding a local baker to make my family’s chocolate chip recipe,” she said.
Sarah Flint has a short-term lease in Dallas that began last fall and is expiring at the end of this month. After her debut in Nashville, Sarah Flint will move to a permanent space in Dallas that will open “probably from mid-to-late July.”
Before the grand opening of Sarah Flint’s Green Hills location, “I think we’re very excited to come to Nashville,” Flint said.
“It’s an incredible market, and I’ve had great experiences there,” she said. “It’s always exciting to see how the customer differs in different markets, and now that I’m in Dallas, New York and Washington, DC, I can’t wait to see what a local customer would be like too.”
