Dana Demetriou understands shopping can be a bonding experience, many times between mother and daughter. So the Fringe Boutique owner stretches items for all ages across her 1,500-square-foot store.
Here, there are no designated junior's and women's sections. In one corner rests a gray door, where NikiBiki camisoles ($12) hang delicately from mismatched knobs. In another, pieces from Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent's bohemian collection hang along a sturdy wall rack. The store's distressed furniture and funky finds appeal to a young, Pinterest-loving crowd while its luxury items, such as a structured navy Ramy Brook Markie dress ($395), charm older shoppers.
Demetriou, a former director of suite services for the Cleveland Cavaliers, opened the Moreland Hills spot in 2012 after a mother-daughter trip to Boca Raton, Florida. She and her then-17-year-old daughter stumbled into a store and both left with full shopping bags. "I thought to myself, What a great experience, to be able to go into a store and both find something," she recalls.
Fringe offers familiar brands — Paige, WildFox and Black Orchid — and one-of-a-kind finds from New York City. Demetriou also snags store items on her personal travels, such as a peach Chan Luu crystal stacked bracelet set ($105) she found at an accessory show in Atlanta.
"A lot of [my customers] travel, so they want the stuff they see in all these other great places," she explains.
Fringe carries one size of each piece and rarely reorders when it sells out.
"So when women come in and they find a dress they love, they know I only have one size 4," Demetriou says. "Women will come in once or twice a week, because they know we're getting new things."
When You Go
Fringe Boutique 34105 Chagrin Blvd., Moreland Hills, 440-465-5440, fringe-boutique.com
Nearby Find
Swing by J3 Clothing Co. to get something for the guys. The store offers designer duds and on-site tailoring. 34105 Chagrin Blvd., Moreland Hills, 216-285-0555, j3clothing.com
Skin Appeal
This Minnie Rose cotton python print pullover ($209) blends hues of olive and cream with splashes of turquoise, a trendy color for fall. "This particular print is unique, but I think it's the coloring of it that makes it special," explains Sherry Medrick, Fringe Boutique store manager. "It pops off the piece." Pair it with leather leggings and flats, she suggests.
