The Phoenix owner K McCarthy (Photo by Megan Irwin)
When K McCarthy opened her first Phoenix store 40 years ago on Aug. 1 in Charlottesville, it was a different shop than the one that stands today at 3101 W. Cary St. She largely filled it with imported goods from around the globe, including handicrafts, Panama hats, jewelry, handmade lotions, molas from Panama and Indonesian antiques. “I had a little bit of everything in the store. It was not just a clothing store like [the current location]; it was very different,” McCarthy says.
A University of Virginia graduate, she chose Charlottesville to begin her business venture on a whim. “It was a really impulsive decision … I just went into it with no experience whatsoever.”
That lack of experience didn’t hinder the store’s success. “The very first day I opened, we had a great day … [the business] started doing well.” This led McCarthy to eventually open another store in Charlottesville and one in Duck, North Carolina. With expansion, traveling became more difficult as she realized she needed to remain closer to her stores. Thus began the evolution from world goods to the eclectic women’s fashion for which the business is now known.
Much of The Phoenix’s apparel is obtained from locations across the country, and McCarthy says more than 50 percent of the items she carries today are American-made. “As I evolved and learned more about the business, it evolved.”
In 1991, she opened a store at Hanover Avenue and Strawberry Street in The Fan, then moved to Carytown in 1993 and relocated to her current building in 2011.
McCarthy remains dedicated to The Phoenix, with a passion for textiles and fabrics that she brings to the store.“I think when you buy really beautiful fabrics and art to wear, it’s timeless; it never goes out of style. I mean, I could wear something that I had in the store from 40 years ago that was an art piece, and it would be relevant today.”
Last year, she opened Ruby at 3030 W. Cary St. near The Phoenix, selling more casual apparel than The Phoenix does, but with the same emphasis on quality of fabrics. Those stores are the only two she currently operates.
The Phoenix will hold a three-day open house that kicks off with a celebration from 4 to 8 p.m. on Sept. 21. The party will feature refreshments, prizes and drawings.
