Open for Business: Sarca

It’s been just six weeks since the opening of Sarca, but the store has already made its mark on the Chicago fashion scene—and its closets.

Opened in early December by Alexis Cozzini, the high-end women’s clothing shop is a treasure trove of edgy finds. “I had known just in the back of my mind over the years brands that I wanted to have in my store when I opened it,” Cozzini says. She’s certainly had a lot of time to ruminate—she broke into the fashion biz at the tender age of 15.

“I worked in Lincoln Park at Celeste Turner,” she says. “It’s not there anymore, but it was like the hottest boutique at the time. I worked there after school in high school… and I loved it.”

Following up with positions in New York at heavy hitters such as Calvin Klein and Intermix, Cozzini’s passion for fashion continued to grow. Returning to her hometown roots after college, she made her move in the wake of a struggling economy.

“It was just kind of perfect timing,” she says. “You can always think of an excuse not to start. The down economy was kind of an opportunity, because you can find some great rent sales, [and] you have the opportunity to negotiate on your buys,” she says.

Drawing inspiration from international magazines (with which Cozzini is also familiar, having interned at Fitness in New York), travel and fashion shows around the world, she began to collect an eclectic mix of exclusive finds.

“I try to buy more for variety of designers than I do for variety of particular lines,” she says. Favoring lines like the tongue-in-cheek German Markus Lupfer, Tania Spinelli and British-born Jane Carr to name a few, Sarca is full of both sass and bide, (coincidentally another fave brand).

“You can come in here and find anything [you] need to fill that wardrobe gap,” she says. And then, there’s also the classic staple. “Literally, everything!”

Like her favorite Jane Carr wool silk-blend scarves. Or a pair of killer sexy boot heels. Integrating animal-esque decór with its fur-heavy stock, Sarca is also your one-stop shop for all things fuzzy. “The designers knew I had a lot of fur coming in for winter, so they played on the different elements of those. I like to call it urban rustic chic.”

Or call it unique. Ordering just one or two sizes of all of her items, Cozzini suggests scooping up finds while you can. “It’s nice too because if you’re here, you don’t see a ton of people wearing the same thing walking down the street,” she says. “It keeps the inventory fresh.” (Nicole Briese)

Sarca, 710 N. Wabash, (312)255-0900, shopsarca.com