Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1310806
"clients who have come to the store in sneakers, and, yes, saw us in sneakers, too, know that we perhaps are a little more intimate in our approach. We've worked hard over the past few months with a smaller team, and our clients have seen this resilience. I think they're rooting for us, and that means everything." Forty Five Ten previously offered an e-commerce site that, like the store, temporarily ceased operations in March. A new service-oriented site will soon launch so customers around the country who were used to shopping in a store convenient to them, might still find that unicorn of a dress. "I want the site to be a window into the store," says Wallach. "We're going back to our roots, which are experimentation and whimsy. It's curated and edited with a point of view. To quote the sage LL Cool J, "Don't call it a comeback, I've been here for years." And, this is most definitely not a comeback. It's a new chapter for a stalwart of the luxury fashion scene that has been a force for close to two decades. What's that next chapter for Forty Five Ten? After spending a few days with the team, I'm not sure they completely know. That's the case with retail professionals across the globe right now: There's no clear path forward. What I do gather is a willingness to be nimble — to pivot rapidly, as 2020 has shown us when challenges arise, and to adapt as needed. What else did I take away from my days at the store. Well, I walked out with a Monse rugby that will make me feel chic and effortlessly cool — two qualities quite synonymous with Forty Five Ten, now and always. What do you see occurring in downtown Dallas in the years ahead, and why is Forty Five Ten such a cornerstone of your overall strategic plan? Tim Headington: I'm an optimist at heart, but this year did its best in chipping away at that. From hospitality to retail, oil and gas to residential, restaurant to entertainment, every corner of our portfolio was deeply disrupted. The silver lining for us on the retail side is that we own the building that houses our flagship Forty Five Ten, which means we have the time and space to recast how we operate there. We had to make tough and swift decisions in order to mitigate losses, as demand disappeared so immediately, but we see a great opportunity today in scaling back to one location and focusing on our Dallas customer. People are shopping again ... We see pent-up demand trickle in every day, and I'm confident that we'll be in a more stable place across the board next year. Forty Five Ten has always played a very important role in Dallas. Personally and professionally, I am so proud to be a part of this homegrown brand and want to see it succeed. Decades ago, we could have invited a big-box retailer to Main Street and probably done all right without having to invest or risk much, but that's never been how I wanted to contribute to the energy of the city. I appreciate the rare and unique, and I think a destination like Forty Five Ten elevates the Dallas experience — it's always been a place you remember and want to return to. If we offer what is expected or something solely transactional, then we've failed. How we build these experiences and settings will always require us to evolve along the way, and this takes time. It's a natural part of the creative process and, in many ways, not unlike making movies. The script always changes, even while you're filming. And, I have to say, over the past few months, our clients have really expressed their desire to see us flourish, and that's been encouraging. We have more good news ahead as work is already underway to relocate Sassetta restaurant to the Joule in the former Americano space, early next spring. Jean Liu, a talented and accomplished Dallas designer, has worked closely with us as we reimagine one of my favorite restaurants in a new space. I told you, 2021 is already getting brighter. Tim HeadingTon, the enigmatic owner of forty five ten, the Joule hotel, and numerous restaurants, shares his thoughts about the future. Anne Wallach in the window at Forty Five Ten Matthew Monahan's Pressings II, 2009 37