Sunday, July 13, 2008
Life, Style
Modern amusement
Virginia-Highland boutique offers playful, flirty items
Inside the Fickle Manor
Spark St. Jude
The Fickle Manor
1402-4 N. Highland Ave. NE
Atlanta, GA 30306
404-541-0960
www.ficklemanor.com
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.; Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sun. 1-5 p.m.
By Carly Felton
The Fickle Manor’s light blue and fluorescent green walls, red ceiling and colorful, abstract art are enough to cheer up even the worst Debbie Downer, and the bright décor certainly encourages shoppers to stay a while.
“There’s lots of energy,” says owner J.J. Tomlinson, a former medical assistant who had no previous experience in the industry. “[I] just love fashion!”
Tomlinson opened the store, which sells women’s clothing and accessories, in November 2002. “I was turning 30 and ready to finally do exactly what I wanted to do. So I quit my job and started on the store.”
Offering everything from lingerie and slippers—Tomlinson calls them “house shoes”—to swimsuits and flip-flops, shorts and jeans, skirts and dresses, purses and jewelry, the Fickle Manor’s style is fun, flirty and funky. The store doesn’t have much in terms of office wear, but it’s a great place to shop for weekend and wedding attire.
“Nothing in here is serious,” Tomlinson says.
Nicole Miller, Liquid, Red Engine, Envi, Notice and French Connection are some of the lines the store carries, and everything is colorful: reds, oranges, blues, greens, yellows, purples. Most items come in printed designs. “Not much is solid here,” Tomlinson says. “And most of the lines we carry only sell to small boutiques.”
Currently, the leather Big Buddha and Melie Bianco purses are popular, especially in gray, maroon, red and orange; as are the short-sleeved Johnny Was dresses, which hit below the knee and are embroidered with flowers. So, too, are the strapless Veronica M dresses, which feature funky prints; and the Prairie silk, short-sleeve or tube tops in various designs.
The Fickle Manor also takes care to invest in local designers, particularly in the medium of jewelry. These include Jamie Diane Designs, Jennifer Boaz and Turq Jewelry—most of which are funky and use semiprecious stones. “They are original, and it’s always nice to support local [talent],” Tomlinson says.
The University of Alabama graduate and Columbus, Ga., native describes her personal style as including “lots of color and fun fabrics,” so it should come as no surprise that she tries to pick colorful, original styles for the 1,200-square-foot store.
The clothing, which ranges from $20 for a casual shirt to $500 for a nice dress, caters to women ages 16 to 45. Those on a tight budget should be sure to check out the Fickle Manor’s biggest sales—50 to 70 percent off regular prices—usually the third weekend in January and July at Atlantic Station’s Boutique Bargains Clearance Sale. The store also holds one or two trunk shows a month, generally on a Thursday or Saturday, in which select items—be they purses or jewelry or something else—are 20 percent off.
“We like to keep it relaxed. No pressure to buy anything,” Tomlinson says. “We have very unique and hard-to-find clothes, and very friendly customer service.”
Shipments usually arrive on the first of the month and/or mid-month, and nothing is held back. “The minute we get something, it gets put out,” Tomlinson says.
Right now, her favorite item in the store is a multi-colored Envi dress because “it has so much color that you can’t help but have a good time while you are wearing it.
“It’s fun to be here and shop,” she says. “You can walk out with a whole outfit for less than $100.” SP