S.A.M.

The New MartSuite 407(213) 489-5265

S.A.M. showroom owner Sharyn Gold reps strong brands, including J Brand jeans and luxe Lily McNeal knits, but her main focus is on her relationship with retailers. “My loyalty is with my retailers,” she said. “I protect their business and offer them great brands.” That means strictly controlling distribution and protecting a retailer’s exclusivity. With a must-have brand such as J Brand, that can get tricky. “Sometimes retailers get upset with us if we can’t sell them a brand. On the other hand, the retailers we do sell to love us because they know the brand won’t end up next door to them,” Gold laughed.

As a 15-year veteran of the business (she cut her teeth for 10 years at Betsee Isenberg’s 10 Eleven showroom in The New Mart), Gold has seen brands come and go. But that’s not to say her brands are an afterthought. “This is a tough business. You have to have the right product mix and know the right people.” For 4-year-old S.A.M., that means trendy, high-end sweats from Primp, feminine printed tops in silk and jersey from Puella, T-shirts from Daftbird, contemporary tops from Chrissa and high-end fashion staples from Glamour Campaign.

“I believe in what I sell, and I make sure the brands I sell won’t cannibalize each other,” Gold said. S.A.M.’s deacute;cor reinforces Gold’s no-fuss approach to fashion. With a spare, Zen-utilitarian aesthetic, S.A.M. is a comfortable, low-key place to get work done.

If S.A.M.’s client list is any indication, Gold’s approach seems to be working. Key retailers for the showroom include Ron Herman, Madison, Diavolina, Kitson and Planet Blue. In turn, “Our retailers have been very supportive of us,” Gold said, often giving brands a chance because of the showroom’s endorsement.—Erin Barajas