In a nutshell
A boutique of handmade Turkish slip-on shoes and curated crafts clothing and accessories. A cosy post-pop-up home for this growing owner-led brand.
In their words
"We view our Sabah Houses as a respite from the hustle & bustle and a home away from home -- a space where we can invite conversation, connection, and, of course, help get you into a fresh set of Sabahs or Babas."
Mickey's story: "To sell these first Sabahs, I did one of the things I do best — I threw a party. I opened my home and invited just about everyone I’d ever met in NYC. Come over, have some drinks, hang… and, "By the way — I am now selling shoes too. They’re called Sabahs." They sold themselves, as they continue to do — and we still host customers in our Sabah Houses, as if our home is theirs."
Visit Field notes
Doing one thing well is a joy for retailer and customer, and this store showcases the Sabah slip-on shoe (in all its colours and variations) alongside a changing selection of clothes, accessories and incense. Part souk, part boutique, and of course there's a tiny bar! The store occupies a corner on Bleecker Street and this allows the 'wall of coloured shoes' to glow enticingly for people who don't know the brand. Founded in his parent's home in New York's East Village, Mickey Ashmore (the founder, still owner) had some Turkish 'slippers' to sell. These slip-on shoes were leather, hand-made, and an ideal slip-on for summer wear or slippers year round, they worked from the catwalk to shuffling to the bodega. From an initial popup, to growth, and the first "Sabah House" the brand (or should I say Mickey) has been sociable and formed a community with it customers (witness the street party when the brand moved from the East Village to their current Sabah House on Bleecker).
The store is dominated by the wall of shoes - a riot of colours - but the space is filled with lounging sofas, and a changing capsule of clothing and accessories - all are generally sustainably made, artisanal and selected by the team.
A corner bar or DJ station acts as the point of sale, but in reality forms a focus for welcome and conversation.
This store is an example of range focus, product integrity, and a store that's in the 'Cinderella Zone' - big enough to be a brand showcase and centre for activities, but not to large that the brand is lost and feels like a spaced-out area in a mall.
As the brand grows it retains the craft base (even as the team in Turkey has grown from 5 to 70 people) and it remains true to its ingredients - "our high quality, thoughtfully produced leather, a unique hand-stitched construction and skilled human hands".
The brand has recently opened a store on London's Chiltern Street, amidst other craft-luxe stores.
Other Reading
The store page: https://uk.sabah.am/pages/stores
The brand story: https://www.sabah.am/pages/about
Details of the shoes' craft and supply chain: https://www.sabah.am/pages/craft
Vogue's review of the shoes: https://www.vogue.com/article/sabah-amagansett-opening
Customer Digest rates the shoes: https://www.thecustomerdigest.com/post/sabah-review-2022
A review of the previous House in the East Village that gives interesting brand history and approach: https://suitcasemag.com/sabah-shoes/
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