by Jenny Bachynski |  Amy Renee York is one of the co-owners behind Nouvelle Nouvelle – a chic Gastown shop located at 209 Abbott Street. With its simple aesthetic (those beautiful wooden floors!), it’s very easy to get drawn in. The store opened its doors in 2007 and since then has become a favorite among fashion-forward Vancouverites. With brands from Vancouver to Paris, Amy has selectively put together a range of contemporary pieces for our city to enjoy. I spoke with her right after her arrival back from a buying trip. She shared her thoughts on owning a business, and was also kind enough to throw in some fashion tips.

Who are you, and how did Nouvelle Nouvelle come to be? My name is Amy Renee York and I own Nouvelle Nouvelle with my boyfriend Noah MacNayr-Heath. We have a little bulldog named Lily who often “works” in the shop with us. Up until January I also owned Prado Café on Commercial Drive. Noah was working in Graphic Design and I had the café since 2005. We spent any downtime we could travelling together as a way to de-stress and make the crazy hours we kept feel worthwhile. We kept seeing all these amazing lines in other cities that we couldn’t find in Vancouver and after casually discussing the idea of opening a shop for six months or so we decided to get serious, found a few other partners (which have since moved on) and opened in September 2007.

What do you look for when scouting new designers? Details. Fit. Fabric. We focus on smaller lines like Dusen Dusen, Klaxon Howl, In God We Trust, Ora Bags, Hendrick.Lou; lines that allow us to build a relationship with the designer and that we feel confident about supporting. That said, we also carry some bigger, well-priced lines like Cheap Monday and Kai-aakman.

Do you travel to any exciting locations to find new designs? Paris and New York definitely feel like our most “exciting” destinations to buy for the shop but really it seems like every city has its share of interesting/exciting designers that aren’t necessarily being represented outside their country or even their city. We have picked up really impressive pieces from Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Oh, and I’ve never been to Australia but we carry a ton of Australian lines!

What was the biggest struggle you had to overcome to make the store a reality? Finding the time. Those involved in the beginning were also working on other projects. I owned the café at the time and juggling the initial build out and launch of the shop, in hindsight, was a pretty intense five or six months.

How does Vancouver influences Nouvelle Nouvelle as a business? We keep the shop stocked with pieces that are good for layering. You never know what the weather will throw your way, am I right? Vancouver has a pared down, practical style that I really love. I’m obviously not talking about MEC or the yoga pants that you grocery shop in. I’m talking about the messy-haired girls that wear pretty backpacks and vintage boots and ask if they can bring their bikes into the store while they shop.

If you could pick the brain of any other Vancouver business which would it be and why? Grant McDonagh from Zulu Records. It’s really encouraging to see a business thrive that has always supported independent music and artists and has been around for 30 years!

Gastown is full of amazing stores and artists. When you picked Gastown to be the home of Nouvelle Nouvelle, what was your plan to stand out and set yourself apart? I don’t know if we were too concerned about setting ourselves apart necessarily. We had lived in Gastown for a few years before we opened Nouvelle Nouvelle and it was really the only neighbourhood that we were interested in being in at the time. We wanted to have the space function as more than just a static boutique. To that end, we kept everything modular so we can change the lay-out of the shop to accommodate an art show or holiday market or move everything into the back room so bands could set-up for a show.

How would you describe the style of your average customer in three words? Insouciant. Relaxed. Forward.

If you had to pick one album to play in the store for the rest of time, what would it be? It’s a really bad habit but when I like an album I tend to play it over and over in the shop until I start to associate the album with what clothes are in the shop right then – kind of like how other people associate songs with you know, when they met their boyfriend or something – I’m like, oh, Fall 2011! But if I had to pick one album I would never, ever get sick of it would be Old Dirty Bastard’s Brooklyn Zoo.

What is the must have item for this spring? For women, I would say knife pleating and pastels like mint or lilac paired with neutrals. For the boys I think “Letterman” jackets and a narrow pair of trousers in an unexpected color like dark teal or maroon.

For more info on Nouvelle Nouvelle visit www.nouvellenouvelle.com.

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Jenny Bachynski was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. In her teenage years she packed up her bags and headed to Vancouver to pursue further education in fashion design. In 2009 she started her own small business Jenny Andrews Recycled Leather Goods, as well as her blog Jenny Loves. After starting her blog, Jenny discovered that one of her greatest joys was stumbling upon beautiful and interesting things, and sharing them with anyone who would listen.

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