Buffalo Rising Online

Sep 17th 2007, 3:43pm By queenseyes

Last night I drove by this freshly redesigned storefront at 715 Elmwood Avenue and almost hit the car in front of me. The interior of the future sneaker shop had been so totally transformed that I barely recognized the space. The interior glowed a wild pinkish red and the modern lighting sent out a calling card beacon to passers-by. When I pulled over to take a closer look an elderly gentleman walked by and exclaimed, "Wow!"

Today I decided to do a follow up piece to the original post from a couple of weeks ago. I called the owner of the sneaker shop, Jessica Incorvaia, to ask about the interior design and to inquire about the different styles of sneakers that would eventually line the clear acrylic shelves that hung from the ceiling by way of miniscule wires. Jessica told me that with the help of her friend Ike Lowry she had dismantled the store and recreated it as an 'old industrial-meets-new modern' sneaker sanctuary. I told her that it reminded me of stores on Queen Street up in Toronto to which she answered, "Exactly."

The interior design is not the only cool element to Jessica's store. The line of sneaker-wear is also going to be different. "The concept is to sell simple-casual-comfortable sneakers that can branch off to boots, boat-shoes, etc.," she told me. "We'll carry shoes with sneaker soles, and ballerina flats for girls, and sneaker boots." All of the styles of footwear that Jessica pointed out had some sort of sneaker feature built into it. They were fashion-forward styles that looked like they could almost jump out of the boxes on their own. A couple of the mentionable up-and-coming and limited edition brands include Penguin, Triple Five Soul, Jhung Yuro, and Heyday.

Jessica went to school for film studies. She also has an appreciation for art. Now she will transform these artistic inclinations into a funky, hip, modern boutique. As Jessica held up a couple pairs of sneakers I finally remembered to ask what the name of the sneaker boutique was, and she answered, "Firebrand... it's a term referring to someone who creates change. It's all about sneaker culture... sneakers are a lifestyle for some people." I looked around at the exposed brick walls, the Philippe Starck outdoor chairs and the ball seats, the uncovered side display windows (facing M&T Bank drive-thru), and the simple white benches that contrasted the rustic vinyl sheet floors... and knew that the store concept would live up to the store's name.

Firebrand, located at 715 Elmwood Avenue, will open to the public this Saturday. Shop phone number is 716-883-1871.