Mickey Rosmarin's new home
Floral chandeliers, a full-service bar, a catering kitchen and party room areall part of the new Tootsies
Mickey Rosmarin gave tours of the hard-hat site of the new Tootsies, to open inWest Ave in early 2011.Photo by Shelby Hodge
Tootsies will be located at the northern end of the West Ave development.Photo by Shelby Hodge
Even in a hard hat, Mickey Rosmarin is excited about his new store openingaround Jan. 1.Photo by Shelby Hodge
When Mickey Rosmarin unveils the new incarnation of Tootsies in West Ave in early 2011, it will be anything but a replica of his tired Highland Village store. Think chic, sophisticated and very social.
In a whirlwind hard-hat tour of the West Ave site Tuesday, the man who has been dressing Houston fashionistas for three decades revealed the signature components of his 35,000-square-foot fashion emporium. With plenty of room in which to play (the current store occupies only 15,000 square feet), Rosmarin is redefining what retail space is all about.
First, there is the 300-foot-long "runway," an open axis really, that extends the length of the store, ideal for Tootsies' popular and numerous designer fashion shows and special events.
At the opposite end of that design spectrum, the new store will boast an intimate party room, around 500 square feet of Brazilian marble-clad space that can be reserved for charity events and private gatherings. Think Ladies Who Lunch birthday parties. And if you have a party room, of course, you need a full catering kitchen. Voila, it's right there!
Playing to the social networking (we're not talking Twitter and Facebook) needs of his gregarious clientele, Rosmarin has included a full-service bar in the new Tootsies plans. Martinis with your Manolos? Cosmopolitans with your couture samples? Shoppers can make themselves at home in this slick space with banquette seating and bar tables and chairs. Even that unique retail amenity is not what impresses the owner most.
"This is the piece de resistance," Rosmarin said as he led visitors into another private room, this one reserved for special trunk shows and the presentation of ultra-luxury products. Sheer curtains allowing light in from Westheimer, low sofas and heavy carpeting will define what he describes as a "luxuriously moderne" decor reminiscent of the '40s and '50s.
That room is tucked in the north end of the expansive store, beyond the couture dress department and beyond the couture shoe department, to be differentiated from the regular shoe area.
"We're stepping up our shoe department with many more designer brands," he said.
All of this fancy stuff is to the left of the entrance – where the black American Express cardholders will feel right at home. To the right will be the down-to-earth fashions — dresses, blouses, T-shirts, the young designers collection and undergarments, a new Tootsies offering. Rosmarin explains that his "body shop" will offer "every single garment that pushes, pulls and expands and does whatever needs to be done."
Beyond the design elements as envisioned by Gensler architects, Rosmarin has several other features in his plans. For starters, don't expect your typical crystal chandeliers for the store foyer. Rather a massive overhead flower arrangement will welcome shoppers as will mannequins dressed in lavish collections of fresh flowers and greenery.
And if all goes well with permitting, there will be an outdoor terrace (another cool party space) overlooking Westheimer.
