M Penner’s Uptown Move

M Penner pulled out the stops for the celebration of its new, 6,500-square foot store in Houston’s Uptown Park on Dec. 6. Over 250 customers, suppliers and fellow retailers, including David Levy from Levy’s in Nashville and Martin Shine from Kirby’s in Tampa, made their way to the celebration and to the after-party next door at Arturo’s Uptown Italiano. (Nothing like having neighbors that can really cook!)

The store, which replaces a slightly smaller unit, was designed by Michael Malone of WKMC Architects in Dallas and features light-finished oak walls and fixturing, alabaster paneling, 16-foot-high cove ceilings and Italian stone and marble flooring. The store’s Karen Penner informed MRketplace.com that sportswear, footwear and a new women’s department occupy the front half of the store, while the rear includes a fitting suite and a made-to-measure room which connects the main clothing area and a new 700-square-foot Ermenegildo Zegna shop-in-shop (see below).

The party was thrown by M Penner’s new landlord, AmReit, and Houston Modern Luxury Magazine. It featured the guitar stylings of Mark Garvin and, among other amenities, M Penner logo’d chocolates by Chocolate Designs. The guest list included Houston Texans quarterback Sage Rosenfels, Lawrence Behar and Michael Kern from Ike Behar, Bill Puckett and Barbara Bell from Robert Talbott, and John Besch and Andrea Benedini from Luigi Bianchi.

For more on the festivities, click here to visit Schmoozing.