Austin Way Magazine - GreenGale Publishing - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/753315
62 AUSTINWAY.COM PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAGNY PIASECKI The much larger space at Kick Pleat's new home is the ideal gallery-like showcase for the impeccable selections by owner Wendi Martin (right). WITH A MUCH LARGER SPACE, THE ARTFULLY DESIGNED IC PLEAT CATCHES UP TO THE FASHION-FORWARD VISION OF OWNER WENDI MARTIN. MORE TO LOVE It was 13 years in the making. Located in the one of the most visible corners of the city – right there among local icons Waterloo Records, Book People, and the Whole Foods flagship—is the airy, gallery-like new home of Wendi Martin's Kick Pleat boutique. With 5,000 square feet, more than triple Kick Pleat's former space six blocks up, Martin finally has the store she envisioned when she first opened her fashion-forward shop in a South First bungalow in 2003. Not only does the store's design by architect Jamie Chioco artfully showcase Martin's intelligent, modern lines like Dusan, Nehera, Issey Miyake, Veronique Leroy, and Jil Sander, but it has office space for Kick Pleat's bustling online operations. "We were growing and growing, but our space remained the same size," recalls Martin, who opened her first store outside of Austin, also designed by Chioco, this summer in Houston's River Oaks district. A true visionary who has developed a fiercely devoted clientele, Martin says she has always stayed true to "quality, timeless- ness, and comfort" when selecting pieces for Kick Pleat. "I don't want to go for the trend; I want to go for the item you will love forever." 624 N. Lamar Blvd., 512-445-4500; kickpleat.com . "I DON'T WANT TO GO FOR THE TREND; I WANT TO GO FOR THE ITEM YOU WILL LOVE FOREVER." —wendi martin STYLE EXPANSION