The belle of Saratoga’s downtown retail world is turning over a new leaf.  Lifestyles, at the coveted corner of Caroline Street and Broadway, has changed hands, and Saratogians can expect some distinct changes within.  

 

After 21 years, Lifestyles has a new owner: Heidi West, a Fashion Institute of Technology graduate, fashion buyer and merchandiser. If West looks familiar, that’s because she was a fixture in the shop when her mother, Kay Owen, owned and operated the boutique before her. 

“Heidi was always the major player behind the scenes as a manager and as a buyer,” Owen said. “Now for me, it was time to pursue some new opportunities.” 

West said, “It felt like synchronicity, taking the reins of Lifestyles. It’s a place that for me that feels like home, and I have great things in mind to give the store a fresh face.”

The store will be the same place with fresh space, West said. She will retain all the tried and true brands that have become staples of the Lifestyles customer. 

“We are the only Saratoga boutique that carries Eileen Fisher, Michael Stars, Silver jeans and many other brands,” she said. “We will continue to carry those lines; they’re not going anywhere.”  

Expect to see new and emerging designers, however, and touches like an array of Butter London nail colors, body products from Library of Flowers, and an expanded dress and jewelry department. West travels to New York City and Boston at least once a month, applying her critical eye toward identifying trends for her customers.  

West is a lifelong active member of the community. She is a 1984 Saratoga Springs High School graduate who moved back with her husband to raise her sons. She has also been a founding member and active supporter of the Double H Ranch Partners. She is the vice president of the Saratoga Rowing Association, and has been an integral part of the growth and success of that association, as well as being a master rower.  

“There is a real spirit of Saratoga I try to bring to my store--it’s history with an urban sensibility,” West said.

 She; her husband Bob of Old Saratoga Restorations; and Donna Talley, a designer for “Better Homes and Gardens,” worked together to update the space with new displays, an expansive new sales counter and redesigned dressing rooms. The space is airy and bright with exposed brick and flooded with natural light. The new layout gives the shop an open feel with a vista of visuals.

“I think it’s easier now for our customers to see the merchandise,” West said. “People have been asking me if we raised the ceiling because it appears so much larger inside now.”  

On July 18, West will host an open house from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with live swing jazz by The Hot Club of Saratoga, as well as swag bags, a $100 Eileen Fisher gift card raffle, “lite bites” to eat, Lifestyles’ signature cocktail and a ribbon-cutting ceremony. And though she has less time to devote to her former nonprofit work, she will be doing something a little extra for The Double H Ranch. 

“Don’t call it a grand reopening because I feel like I’ve always been a part of Lifestyles,” West said. “Call it a new beginning.”

Join West and friends July 18 at Lifestyles, 436 Broadway. For more information, call 584-4665 or visit www.lifestylesofsaratoga.com.

--Jennie