Newport Beach has had the good fortune of being home to world famous A’Maree’s for over 40 years. An incredible feat when you think in terms of a globally recognized family owned retail business!
A’Maree’s is a boutique shopping destination in a stunning bayfront architectural masterpiece that is on par with 10 Corso Como in Milan. A must stop destination when in California for fashion designers, editors, buyers and stylists, musicians, actors, models, royalty, as well as an incredibly loyal local clientele…
Where else offers you the option to pull up in your yacht or boat and step off into a magical shopping experience? Their journey as a female owned and run business has been so inspiring to watch. The girls have been friends of mine for a long time and it was nice to sit in their chic open area kitchen at the store and talk with them and their mother and founder, Nancy Brown, about how it all began…
What does the Art of Being Female mean to you (as it relates to business)?
Nancy: Our own authenticity in running our business and making our customers feel welcome and happy, while staying strong and true to ourselves. It’s a balancing act.
Can you tell us how A’Maree’s was started and it’s evolution?
Nancy: Out of desperation. I went through a divorce and had no child support, no house, nothing. I had to raise my family and I was an artist. I made everything the girls wore when they were young. I remember making yellow hot pants from the leftover upholstery fabric I had laying around..
I had a silent partner and started the store in 1976 with a $50,000 investment. I was making just $500 per month. That’s really how it started.
Dawn: Mom would take all the alterations home at night for the clients. She baked homemade chocolate chip cookies and brought them to the store on the counter. The cookies were a draw as women were coming in for the cookie for themselves and their children! We had casual clothes that women could wear back then: Adrienne Vittadini, Nancy Heller, JG Hook, Max Mara…Dooney & Bourke, Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors…
What are some of the most important things in running a business you learned from your mother and founder, Nancy Brown?
Nancy: I have been SO proud of the girls for always making people feel happy and also being honest in business. I always had a smile on my face …and was happy when I was at work and I think it showed.
Denise: People came in for our moms positivity and how she made people feel about themselves.
Aside from working in the store while you were growing up, did any of you have any schooling or did you go to college for anything in fashion?
Dawn: I went to Pepperdine to study merchandising and business, but learned so much more being in the store.
Denise: I went to school and then left to work in my so called lifetime internship at the store!
Apryl: I always found it more interesting to work in the store. I was working in numbers and was a loan officer before working here full time. Now I handle accounting for the store.
What are your favorite things about working together in a family business?
Nancy: The love we share. We want the best for each other and take care of each other.
Apryl: We always have so much fun together no matter what we do!
Dawn: We don’t have to talk – we know what each other is thinking. I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else.
What are your challenges?
Nancy: All the different personalities. We want the best but that can be a challenge!
Apryl: We can get protective of one another…
How did you three girls decide the which roles to take on?
Dawn: It was a natural progression as the years went on. We all found our spot.
You have an amazing team that has worked with you forever. What is the key to keeping your staff with you long term?
Nancy: Treating them like family. We have had so many amazing employees and have seen them through weddings, babies and shared lives.
Dawn: When we hire someone, it’s always a referral and we know their back story.
Your dream was always to move to this beautiful iconic building on the bay in Newport Beach. Can you tell us about it and your journey to get here?
Dawn: We have always loved this building! I saw it sitting here for 13 years vacant. I would come and water the grass when no one was here. We were working really hard with an architect trying to make our A’Maree’s store/building in Westcliff more efficient as it had 16 doors, and it was going to be a very pricy remodel. We had plans to make the outside beautiful, and we put up vines to prettify the building. One day we came to work, and the building owner had ripped them down! We had him come back to explain, and he said he didn’t want anything growing on the building. We realized then it wasn’t the right fit any longer. Our landlord let us tear up our lease and we knew where we wanted to go…the old Cano’s building on PCH in Newport Beach. We always knew it was our destiny to go there and we worked to get the lease signed. Ladd and Kelsey architects built this in 1962. It is a really special building. We finally were able to get inside, and dishes were still on the table, there was still grease in the fryer. It was like they walked out and left as is for 13 years!
We brought it back to the integrity of the architecture and the landlord was happy about that. We had to strip down layers and layers to get it back to the bones and deal with some structural issues. We did all this within 7 months and finally opened on the waterfront…our dream store!
You have one of the most iconic boutiques in the U.S. if not the world, with the most beautiful curated selection of clothing, jewelry, accessories and home. What do you look for in choosing lines or products to bring in to A’Maree’s?
Dawn: So much is a gut feeling when something is right or not right. It’s just a feeling. You can tell when you go into a showroom. We don’t want any commercial brands. We have started so many brands since conception, but when they get too big we don’t carry them anymore. We just want special. There is so much out there for people to buy! We need to stay out of the box and be different.
You are very supportive of a lot of local designers that are in your backyard of Orange County and Los Angeles, including SALT. Optics, an eyewear company in which I’m a partner and you have supported since day one 12 years ago, for which I’m so grateful! What are some of the lines that you have had the longest and why do you think they have had staying power?
Dawn: Peter Cohen and Dosa we have had for about 30 years. Dosa’s presentation would always bring us in. Peter Cohen is timeless and anyone can wear it. He is such a chic designer…he is like a brother to all of us. We’ve grown up with him.
Lucien Pellat-FInet, Luisa Cevese, Irene Neuwirth, Ileana Makri, Dries van Noten. Celine we had back in the late 80’s we would write HUGE orders and we still have it. Marie-Helene de Taillac…she is amazing and completely loyal to us. These people are such a part of A’marees.
Nancy: One of the things about A’maree’s and why people come back is they say that A’maree’s pulled me through in some hard times. When people have made and lost money, or had personal struggles, the clothes pulled them through and helped them feel good about themselves.
When the store first started, we would run out of clothes and I would run to downtown LA and fill up the car with clothes. We were Irvine Company’s highest grossing per square foot store for years when we were in Eastbluff in Corona del Mar. They loved us! We’ve had three locations. Eastbluff to Westcliff off 17th Street, and now on PCH on the water.
I’ll always remember coming in to the store when it was on 17th Street many, many years ago, and you were so excited about an amazing new T-shirt line called The Row from Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, You were such huge supporters from the very beginning and now they have grown that business into one of the most respected and classic lines out there.
Dawn: They started with a leather pant, t shirt, and a grey long dress…now it is our number one line. They had hired Lauren Hutton to model, which was brilliant. We know how hands on and involved they are. It’s been fun to watch them grow the line through the years.
What are some new lines have you brought in recently that you are excited about?
Daniela Gregis, Kilometre. Brock Collection…we helped them get started and were really behind them. Casey Casey… Too Good, Gabriella Hearst.
We also love having lines like Peter Cohen who makes amazing and wearable silk pieces, and Esquivel that can make custom shoes for our clients.
Do you feel pressured to do anything different than you are now with the surge in all the online stores and shopping?
Nancy: That is a challenge…
Dawn: There is nothing easy about this business. We will survive because we are special.
You also curate a beautiful selection of accessories and furniture for the home. What are your favorite items for the home at the moment?
Dawn: We sold out of all our Astier, so we will be bringing more in. We love our crystals, and the vintage glass from Paris. We also have a curated book selection as well…
Denise: We love going to the markets in Europe and bringing special pieces back.
Tell us about who the A’maree’s shopper is?
Nancy: You can’t stereotype the A’maree’s shopper. She is someone who is understated, chic and has amazing taste. We have clients that are devoted to our store.
I love coming into the store and the relaxing ambiance here. There are always fresh cut roses from one of your gardens, lemons, grapefruits and oranges in bowls throughout. An offer of coffee or a signature cocktail is always appreciated as well when the timing is right!
What are some other things you try to do to make A’Maree’s special for your clients?
Nancy: We love it as the lifestyle store. Something for every part of your life. The husband can come and relax and have a drink overlooking the water, beautiful artwork to see and everyone’s doggies can come in.
Dawn: I love networking and introducing the people that are here…designers, clients, employees. We have introduced so many people through A’maree’s that have become friends. Most of our designers love having events here. It’s a place for visiting and hanging out.
Nancy: These girls would never turn anyone away. They are always ready to open the store for a customer, sometimes to a fault when we are waiting at home for dinner or a special occasion. I get the call, “I’ll be a little late mom”!
For women who have always wanted to come to visit, but are intimidated, what would you want to tell them?
Apryl: Once people do come in, they love store. There are a lot of rumors about the store that aren’t true. We have heard one recently that we are an appointment only boutique, which of course, isn’t true.
Nancy: We wish they wouldn’t be!
Denise: We are here every day to give our customers an amazing and different experience for retail. We try to be a one of a kind store, but we also have some incredible lines that have reasonable pricing, like a basic pant collection from QL2…at $70, t-shirts…little gifts, candles, $30 marble candle holders. We aren’t a sales commission store so we try not to pressure. It’s too bad that some people feel intimidated. I would say come in and decide for yourself!
Can you tell us about the rotating artwork in the store, and how art and fashion intersect?
Denise: We love lifestyle and bringing in different artists. We love artist Pierce Meehan. He is a local, and has done so many beautiful pieces and custom work. Jim Olarte used to own Tippe Canoe in Laguna Beach and he is an amazing craftsman. He does beautiful macrame art pieces. Kyle Hart of Hart Concrete Design did all of our concrete countertops in the store and the chic white concrete custom ping pong table. Alex Downs does beautiful wood pieces.
You throw the best parties and trunk shows with the food and flowers being standouts. Any suggestions how we can entertain in style?
Dawn: Beautiful flowers are a must, a good playlist and everything has to be fresh! Fresh squeezed juice, fresh mint, fresh flowers and of course candles. It’s also important to make people feel comfortable.
Nancy: The ambiance, the details, the food.
Thank-you for giving us a glimpse into all things A’Maree’s. I’ve loved learning the back-story of your journey.
Girls: Mom was a fabulous mentor. She worked hard and early on she made our clothes herself, staying up into the early hours of the morning to do it. We remember she would paint the most beautiful gold leaf mirrors and doors. Our mother is our biggest inspiration. She started the store at age 36 with no experience in the industry, just a dream for a better life for her and her three girls. The best part, she always made people feel happy…
