Brian Bolke To Debut Second Outpost of His Beloved Dallas Boutique Near The Knox, Auberge Collection

When Brian Bolke opened Forty Five Ten in 2000, he envisioned a new retail landscape for Dallas. A quarter century later, Bolke is at it again — let’s call it The Conservatory 2.0.

It’s a cloudy, rainy morning — the type that can morph into a heaven-opening deluge or just an ominous day of London-like drizzle. I’ve asked Brian Bolke to meet me at the Angelika Film Center for a 10:30 am viewing of Marc by Sofia — a film tailored for insiders who know that those names stand for Marc Jacobs and Sofia Coppola.

Afterwards, Bolke and I stroll by the Mockingbird Station storefronts in our rain slickers. We pause for a moment outside Urban Outfitters to discuss his upcoming new concept, a second Conservatory in Dallas — the third in his quiver of boutique arrows alongside New York City and the outpost above Chanel in Highland Park Village. The new store will be located near The Knox, Auberge Collection, in the walkable Knox Street neighborhood.

As the film is fresh on my mind, I riff on a question that Coppola posed to Jacobs on the eve of an upcoming runway show. On the topic of Bolke’s new endeavor, I ask, “Are you nervous?” His quick response: “Every day.” After a thoughtful pause, he adds, “Just like that movie. What’s so fascinating about Marc’s journey is that everything is a process. Something that happens informs something else along the way. It’s never a super linear path. I always start out with ‘I’m going to do something super different,’ then I concede that I always love the same things, and then that seems right … But I have to go through that process of looking at 50 other things before I come back to the realization that it should have been that way all along.”

Yes, it sounds like even though initial renderings have been sent to the media alongside a one-sheet of what will be found at the new boutique (the hoped-for opening date is October 15), we can anticipate something that has always been a part of the retail soothsayer’s DNA.

The 10,000-square-foot concept store will have a 1,000-square-foot main-level entry with botanical and fragrance (Andrea Maack, Lumira, Perfumehead, Nomad Noé). Ascend the staircase to the remaining 9,000 square feet and enter fashion nirvana along with a bar/restaurant and sizable outdoor deck.

“Knox Street is a bit more daring — for sure,” says Bolke, “the more casual sister [of the Highland Park Village store], a bit cooler, but also more forward and unexpected. There will be a bigger focus on art and design throughout, and a ‘come, wander, shop mentality.’ Everything has more room to breathe, and the discovery quotient is very high.”

Women’s and men’s fashion will be spread over 11 galleries. “The collections straddle both the easy to wear and the more avant-garde,” says Bolke. “We’ll learn quickly which direction the customer gravitates, but my gut is they will like seeing both ends of the spectrum … from a casual but luxurious minimalism to the very ‘out there’ that has an emotional pull. It won’t be boring or feel like anything else.” 

In-residence collections exclusive in Dallas include Phoebe Philo, Attersee, and Another Tomorrow. Other exclusives: Jean Paul Gaultier, The Row (women and men), Courrèges, Simone Rocha, Malo Cashmere, Anna Sui, Calvin Klein Collection (women and men), MM6, Yohji Yamamoto, Mordecai, and quite a few more selected by Bolke. Other departments include fine jewelry, objects, fragrance, accessories, apothecary, and more.

Personally, I’m excited about the yet-to-be-named bar/restaurant serving wine, cocktails, snacks, small plates — and a frozen champagne-margarita machine. You’ll find me at an outdoor table weekly catching up with a girlfriend, I’m sure.