Streetsense Brings Two Retail Entrepreneurs’ Dreams to Life

Despite the still-shaky economic recovery, two local entrepreneurs have fulfilled their dreams of opening their own small shops – a Fairfax, VA boutique and a Bethesda, MD juice bar – with the help of Streetsense, which provides integrated brokerage, design, branding, and development services for retail and real estate services.

Puree Artisan Juice Bar™, which opened in Bethesda just in time for locals to keep their new year’s resolutions, provided Streetsense with an opportunity to showcase its broad range of retail services, including leasing, branding, design, and architecture. Entrepreneur Amy Waldman wanted to open Puree after a juicing regimen helped her lose 90 pounds and feeling much healthier, but she was unable to find a store in the Washington, D.C. area offering the quality of juice she wanted in a fun, hip, and social environment. She hired Streetsense to make her vision a reality.

“Amy came to us last year with the name Puree to describe her healthy juice bar concept,” said Kelly Silverman of Streetsense. “The next step was to create the Puree brand, both graphically and in the built environment. We brought in the full Streetsense creative team of graphic designers and interior architects for a genuinely collaborative and integrated approach to concept development.”

After Silverman represented Puree in leasing space at 4903 Elm Street, the Streetsense creative team designed a “thoughtful, fresh, and fun” logo, while the Streetsense interior design team planned a cheerful space for customers to enjoy Puree’s healthy, 100 percent organic juices. The Streetsense team included Rhena Saar, Gabriela Philippon, Angela McGarvey, and Lindsay Button.

At about the same time, Streetsense was busy designing a showcase interior for a new women’s retail clothing store in Fairfax, VA, Undeniable Boutique. Entrepreneur Alicia Russman wanted to provide a collection of clothing and accessories for women “who want to dress for the occasion, but not like everyone else,” but as a first-time retail store owner, she had a limited budget.

Streetsense met this challenge with a modern, minimalist look that brings to mind a fashion show runway and allows the merchandise to take center stage, explained Streetsense Director of Projects Kathryn Bram. Streetsense designers Rhena Saar, David Pilkenton, and Claudia Humphrey worked on the project. Undeniable Boutique opened in late 2011 in the Peterson Companies’ Fairfax Corner shopping center.

“At Streetsense, we recognize that consumers are tired of homogenized brands and static retail settings, and we are excited to see the re-emergence of the entrepreneurial retailer,” commented Streetsense CEO Marc Ratner. “We are pleased to help two local and passionate entrepreneurs fulfill their dreams with our wide range of services, from leasing to branding to design.”