Step inside a Sarah Flint store and you’re greeted with the offer of tea and a homemade chocolate chip cookie.
If not for the stunning shoes lining the walls like works of art, you would think you had just entered your most chic friend’s living room. The luxury footwear brand made by women, for women has built a cult following by proving that elegance, quality, and comfort can (and should) co-exist in high-end women’s shoes. And now, with the opening of the brand’s first-ever permanent store at The Mall at Green Hills, Sarah Flint is taking the intimidation out of luxury shoe shopping and providing Nashvillians with an inviting new experience.
Massachusetts native Sarah Flint has been shoe-obsessed for as long as she can remember. When she founded her namesake brand in 2013, she wanted to implement the qualities she constantly found herself missing from luxury women’s footwear. After graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Flint moved to Italy to study manufacturing and learned firsthand the engineering that goes into shoe design. She believed style shouldn’t mean sacrifice, so she set out to be the change she wanted to see.
“I wanted to create shoes that were both beautiful and stylish, but also had these fit details that I felt were missing from luxury shoes. I used to save up for a very expensive pair of shoes and then go to the cobbler and have the toe box stretched, arch support put in, and rubber put on the bottom. I didn’t want people to have to do that,” says Flint.
Since its inception, Flint’s shoes have been worn by stars among the likes of Cindy Crawford, Meghan Markle, Serena Williams, and Karlie Kloss, to name a few. With bestselling classics like the Natalie (available in both ballet flat and sling styles), the Perfect Pump, the Perfect Sandal, booties, and beyond, each Sarah Flint shoe is expertly manufactured with the highest quality materials and extensively fit tested to ensure they withstand the test of time. The shoes are 100 percent certified made in Italy in partnership with some of Italy’s top artisans and family-owned factories. And the craftsmanship that goes into each shoe’s functionality is just as apparent in its style. The brand depicts femininity in all its beauty with intricate details, impeccable design, and incandescent shades.
“There are a lot of intricate, unexpected details. Things like an asymmetrical bow that’s build into the pattern work or a V-shaped vamp, small sort of elegant details. I’m very inspired by anything vintage so you’ll also see a lot of retro types of heels or covered button details: things that you don’t see as much in modern footwear today,” Flint says. “The design details come from the pattern work; that’s something core to the way I design as well. It’s not about putting a bunch of studs on top, or bows, or things like that. It’s about how it’s actually integrated into the way the shoe is made.”
1 of 2
2 of 2
After several successful pop-up stores in NYC, D.C., and Dallas, Flint knew the time was right to open the brand’s first permanent storefront. Echoing the timeless charm of the shoes themselves, the Green Hills store is reminiscent of a New England garden party come to life. The store’s calm, light blue color scheme, accented with pops of reds and brightly colored rugs, feels homey and welcoming— largely because it was inspired by Flint’s personal style. One wall is accented with framed pieces of wallpaper from Flint’s apartment; fine china from her wedding registry sits atop beautiful shelves of shoes; and cozy couches comprise multiple seating vignettes throughout the store. From the crown molding to the chandeliers, down to finding a local bakery to replicate her family’s chocolate chip cookie recipe, no detail was overlooked. Flint also worked with a variety of women-founded and run vendors on the store’s interior design to bring her vision to life.
“My idea was to have it feel as though you were coming into my living room in my home. Very comfortable, because I felt like in so many instances you go into a luxury store and it’s like the guy in the suit and it’s so intimidating. That’s why we have tea and cookies for people when they arrive,” explains Flint. Further adding to its inviting nature, the store also features a try-on wall, in which every size of the bestselling shoe styles is on display for customers to try on with ease.
“That is really important because I wanted to have this experience where people didn’t feel intimidated. They can just come in and try something on without the pressure to shop, but really the incentive to come in and experience the product and the brand,” Flint says.
Flint is thrilled to be taking the next step and planting roots in Music City with the storefront’s opening. Already having a prominent customer base in town and plenty of demand, the decision to set up shop in Nashville felt like a perfect fit. And at Sarah Flint, customers can find their perfect fit as well.
“I think that we’re creating a very different type of luxury experience: something that is comfortable, homey, and just really inviting that encourages people to come in and experience the brand,” says Flint. “I hope that we are here for many, many years to come and that we really become a known entity in Nashville.”
(The Mall at Green Hills, 2126 Abbott Martin Rd. Ste. 222, 866-237-8760; sarahflint.com)