The mere mention of Saks Fifth Avenue to most people conjures up images of beautiful clothes, extraordinary shoes, and dazzling jewelsóbasically the best objects that money can buy. The Saks Fifth Avenue in Costa Mesa is no different. The store is led by vice president, general manager Gretchen Pace.Ý

ÝÝìThe first thing I did when I started at this store was change the color scheme. Because the store was older, it had colors that were a little outdated. So I painted everything white, to give it a cleaner, more contemporary feel,î she says with little surprise, considering sheís also an artist.

Ý Pace grew up in Rhode Island, but always had a strong desire to live in California. She loved the fantastic weather and pictured it as a place where anything could happen. So Pace and her husband moved to California where her first retail job was in visual merchandising. She mustíve been pretty good because not long afterward, Saks Fifth Avenue took notice of her talents and recruited her. Pace points to the denim section at Saks and begins to explain how her creative and business abilities merged. ìItís about presenting products in a way so it sells. In this area, we lay all the denim down, so you can clearly see the pocket designs, the stitching, the silhouette, the wash, all the details. If theyíre hung up or folded, you canít see anything,î she says. Indeed, taking one look around the store, itís easy to notice that everything is where itís suppose to be.

ÝÝThe next big thing thatís happening at Saks is the remodeling of the store, which is scheduled to begin February 2007. ìThe store was built in 1979 and since then, there hasnít been too much thatís been done,î Pace says. After the remodeling, Saks Fifth Avenue will have cleaner architectural lines as well as a more defined menís department. The jewelry cases will be modernized and the walls squared off, creating a Ýeven more aesthetically pleasing environment to shop in.

ÝÝBut making sure that Saks is visually stunning is only a minor part of Paceís job duties. After getting in her morning exercise of swimming, yoga, or simply taking a walk, she arrives at the store at 8:30 a.m. to make her morning rounds to check in with the staff. ìThe store really is like a second family to me, so I need to make sure that the people get along because customers can feel the culture that exists in the store,î she says. ìI have a lot of energy, and when someone walks into the store, they should feel positive energy [from everyone].î In this spirit, Pace herself makes sure to interview every single person that is hired at the store.

Ý Another thing that Pace does to ensure that Saks Fifth Avenue stays visionary is to take cues from the customerís themselves. ÝìMost of my inspiration is the women that I see here. The women here are very fashion savvy and they truly appreciate designers and are always looking for new designers.î The women and men who shop at the store are the people who are setting the standards and choosing what is sold at the store. She points to shoes as an example. ìHere you have great weather, so you can wear sexy shoes all year round, versus the East Coast, where youíll need more functional shoes.î

ÝÝAlthough Paceís plate is extremely full with the holiday season and the remodeling, she still makes time for the community. ÝìThere are so many great causes and groups that itís hard to decide what we participate in...we try to be broad in our thinking,î Pace says. Most recently, Saks was a sponsor of the Sheryl Crow concert in support of the Samueli Theater.

ÝÝFrom its color scheme, store layout, employees, merchandising, and more, Pace has certainly been an invigorating force to the personality of Saks Fifth Avenue. And what a vibrant, sophisticated, and energetic place it is.

óJenny Y. WangÝ