Sage
By Mary Beth Schwartz
The popular Lehigh Valley boutique Sage has returned to its home of Downtown Allentown… and, it’s bigger and better than ever.
“We decided to split Sage into three boutiques to make each more focused and unique.”
If you haven’t been to Downtown Allentown recently, you are in store for a renaissance. The ArtsWalk now links to the City’s art venues PPL Center, Allentown Art Museum, Baum School of Art, and Miller Symphony Hall. It connects the City Center’s three office towers and the Renaissance Allentown Hotel. And now there are multiple destinations along the way, for outdoor entertainment and relaxation, upscale restaurants and bars, luxury flats, and a range of boutiques. One store, Sage, has gone full circle and is back where it started.
According to Owner George Haddad, Sage first started in Allentown in 1983 as Shoe Tree at 14th and Tilghman Streets. In 2002, the name was changed to Sage when clothing was introduced. In late 2006, Sage moved to The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley where it remained until this year. When Haddad heard about the vision to rebuild the Allentown community, he wanted to be a part of the revitalization. “I grew up in Allentown. As a native son, I was all in. Downtowns are the new hot spots where people want to live, work, play and shop. I have talked to several longtime residents who talk fondly about their memories of old Allentown. The Shops at City Center on the new ArtsWalk extension will make our customers feel good again,” Haddad says.
In August of this year, Sage relocated back to Allentown. “We not only moved the store, we divided her into three sisters. We decided to split Sage into three boutiques to make each more focused and unique. This decision was based on feedback from our customers. Now we have Sage, Aquarius, and 7th & Sole.”
According to Haddad, Sage specializes in classic, sophisticated, and contemporary women’s clothing that is suitable for work, play and evening functions. Some of Sage’s brands include Joseph Ribkoff and Nicole Miller for dress and career wear, along with well-known versatile lines like Eileen Fisher and Clara Sunwoo. Sage’s casual lines feature customer favorites like Nally & Millie, Sno Skins, and David Cline. Some popular jewelry lines to complement.
Located next door to Sage is Aquarius. This is a new store focusing on Bohemian, SoHo, Retro women’s clothing that has artsy and fun designs. Customers can see famous brands like Free People, Dylan and A’Reve. In addition, Aquarius features its own brand with cool looks at great prices. “A major focus of Aquarius is our support for local artists so we purchased a glass bead panel made at the Banana Factory in Bethlehem. We feature hand made racks and a wood corset by local woodturning artist and sculptor Michael Brolly. On the walls we feature several murals by Matt Nixon. We featured his work in our former location. His murals are popping up around the Lehigh Valley. We invite other artists to come talk to us at Aquarius.”
Last but not least is 7th & Sole. The shoe store offers a wide selection of women’s shoes that will be familiar to customers who shopped in Allentown nine years ago. “I considered naming the store Shoe Tree, our name at 14th and Tilghman, but our resident creative genius Nikki Jones came up with 7th & Sole.” Customers can shop for popular brands like Birkenstock and Dansko. Many new lines have been added, such as Taos and Pikolinos, a Spanish boot line. “At 7th & Sole we offer shoe lines that look good, are made well, and most importantly, feel great on your feet all day long.”
“We believe every woman is unique and should have fashion choices beyond the cookie cutter offerings of the chain stores. Our unique accessories, brand name shoes, and depth of clothing lines are designed to empower women to feel good about themselves. We believe that all of our customers deserve individual attention and honest input on their fashion choices.”
Haddad will be offering special perks to customers of Sage, Aquarius and 7th & Sole. Throughout the season, there will be continuing store promotions. You can get the hours and latest information online. Sage customers can log onto sageboutique.com or the Sage Facebook page. Aquarius customers can visit shopaquarius.com or visit the Aquarius Facebook page. 7th & Sole has its own Facebook page. Free parking is available to customers. Park either at the PPL parking deck or any of the valet parking sites in Downtown Allentown. The deck is across from 7th Street from the ArtsWalk, and valet parking is available at all times in front of the nearby Renaissance Allentown Hotel.
Sage, Aquarius and 7th & Sole are all located at 27 North 7th Street in Allentown, in separate suites. The phone numbers are: Sage: 610.841.9800, Aquarius: 610.841.9801, 7th & Sole: 610.841.9898
