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O C TO B E R | PAGE 30 | 2014 EXPANSIONMODE It's a quiet morning in the dead of August, when most of Dallas' leisure set has long decamped from the Texas heat for cooler parts, and Stanley Korshak owner Crawford Brock is walking the Uptown store's polished hardwood floors, surveying the final details of a year-long, 10,000-square-foot expansion. The summer season is often considered retail's worst in terms of revenue — the hot and sticky months leading into September are a critical dead zone, with the focus already on fall as the city springs to life again. But the early, hushed atmosphere is deceptive here amongst the $7,500 Kiton suits, $4,500 Fendi handbags and $3,000 Yossi Harari earrings. Brock's mood is ebullient: The decision to expand and relocate the eight-year-old Shak — Korshak's contemporary lifestyle in-store boutique for women — was "a home run," he says. The newly revamped, light- drenched space, open just 11 weeks, is already raking in the money. It's running a healthy double digit ahead of this time last year, notes Brock, who isn't entirely surprised at the success. He and his team — which includes executive VP of merchandising Rose Clark and Brock's three daughters, Leigh Friend (who handles public relations), Laura Chandler and Helen Brock (both financial analysts under Clark) — came up with the idea to expand areas that were already doing well at a brainstorming session in his office during the spring of 2013. They hit the ground running, sending buyers to New York to make an ambitious Fall 2014 buy, relocating bridal and doing away with the home decor shop, to make way for a bigger and better Shak — one that would attract more of the Uptown area's prosperous young professionals, a coveted demographic for luxury stores seeking to grow loyal customers. "We decided the Shak would grow much faster with expanded new designer collections and a bigger space for handbags, jewelry and shoes," Brock says. "We could already see it happening. You just sort of follow the road map, and keep buying more of what is selling and less of what isn't." And more is definitely more: At 7,000 square feet, there's ample room on the selling floor for full collections of such hot sellers as Rag & Bone and Helmut Lang. Five new designer names were added, including Elle Sasson and M. Patmos, while existing handbags and jewelry collections were expanded. Upstairs above the Shak for women, there's a moody and elegant salon, Stanley Korshak Bridal, featuring the exclusive launch of Dallas-based in-house designer Nha Khanh, as well as a debut Vera Wang shop-in-shop modeled after the gray-toned Wang salon in New York City. The bridal business is lucrative, but it's the Shak, with its cheerful, Instagram-ready dressing rooms, that is driving the growth of Korshak, explains Brock: "We are not only getting new customers, we've found that we're getting crossover business from the main store. It's ageless; it's more of a lifestyle." The success of the Shak has also inspired a glittering new jewel in Korshak's crown: Shak Men. On September 4, Korshak threw one of the first parties of the fall season: a packed House Party and benefit that drew upwards of 1,000 people — an attractive, mostly under-40 crowd that noshed on sushi and sipped whiskey and wine. The evening was also the unveiling of the 4,000-square-foot Shak Men, more than half of which is devoted to Amsterdam- based SuitSupply's first-ever store-in- store, which Brock believes will hook a previously unaddressed demographic: young, upwardly mobile men living in the neighborhood. With suits made of Italian fabrics starting at $399, "it's a niche we've not been in before," says Brock. "Our Zegna suits open at $2,200, so it's quite a change. We think SuitSupply will attract a young customer out there looking for a place to shop. And the fabrics are awesome." The vibe of the SuitSupply space is young and retro, with '60s- and '70s-inspired bold graphics and colors — signage that will change with the seasons. Shak Men appears to be off to a roaring start — and clearly the crossover customer is going to figure big. A soft opening held the night before the opening party tested the waters. "The first guy who walked in — a guy from Austin in his 50s with his kids, who just happened to be passing by — bought four suits, a sports coat, top coat and 10 shirts," he says. "Based on what we saw last night, the inventory we have, and what we think is going to happen," he says, "we're looking at some big numbers that are exciting. September through December sales are going to come from found business we didn't have before." That begs the question, then, of what the future holds for the ultra luxury business at Korshak — labels such as Valentino, Fendi, Brunello Cucinelli and Lanvin, which have always been its bread and butter. You only have to look at the sawdust flying to know the answer. "We're expanding and redoing the Cucinelli men's space" in the main store, says Brock of the Italian label that he often wears. The main women's area has been given a facelift and an edit job that allows for room devoted to Donna Karan, Calvin Klein and, opening this month, Giambattista Valli. "We've built our reputation with super-luxe-branded businesses in the main store, but what I heard over and over again from people is that the store was so expensive they just couldn't shop there. With the new introductions, we've expanded our reach," he says. With the store's longtime luxury customer base and a slew of young new ones queuing up, Brock is unabashedly stoked about the future: "It's like, holy cow!" WITH A FRESHLY OPENED SHAK MEN, AN EXPANDED SHAK FOR WOMEN AND SAWDUST FLYING IN THE DESIGNER SALONS, B Y R E B E C C A S H E R M A N . P H O T O G R A P H Y M I N D Y B Y R D F O R T H E P H O T O D I V I S I O N . P R O D U C E D B Y M I C H E L L E A V I Ñ A . STANLEY KORSHAK LAUNCHES INTO A YOUNGER, HIPPER STRATOSPHERE OF LUXURY SHOPPING. WE'RE LOOKING AT SOME BIG NUMBERS THAT ARE EXCITING. SEPTEMBER THROUGH DECEMBER SALES ARE GOING TO COME FROM FOUND BUSINESS WE DIDN'T HAVE BEFORE. — CRAWFORD BROCK " Crawford Brock in the new SuitSupply in-store shop Haberdashery details A sexy new Donna Karan boutique A gentleman's bar in Shak Men. The new Shak Men The new Vera Wang bridal boutique modeled after the one in NYC The remodeled women's Shak The new Calvin Klein boutique Made to measure in the men's store