A leading fashion franchise, the South Miami location is the 40th in the United States and its southernmost location, realizing the founder’s vision to create boutiques where everyone can afford to feel beautiful.
At fab’rik shoppers will find “high style with heart, no attitude or sticker shock.” The concept is to offer fashion under $100 without sacrificing quality and ensuring priceless, first-class customer service.
Owner Ally Sloan opened fab’rik in mid-July with a well-attended grand opening reception. For Ally, who hails from Birmingham, Alabama, this is her first retail ownership; however, she’s been working retail (“It’s just fun!”) since she was fourteen. Ally completed her Small Business Marketing & Management studies in from Spring Hill College in 2014, and then spent time hiking in Nepal, afterwards working in social media marketing in Birmingham before taking on her entreprenual role and moving to Miami.
On trend outfits are sourced both in LA and Atlanta, and fab’rik also has its own line named “Asher.” One-of-a-kind accessories are made in Atlanta, under the name of Fabulina Designs.
Giving back to the community is also important for the company; free fab’rik, is a nonprofit organization that provides free shopping sprees for girls who need it most.
So stop on by to our newest boutique in SOMI. fab’rik is open Monday-Saturday 10-7, and Sunday, 12-6.
7301 SW 57 Court | 786.534.7481 | http:///
Shoppers are discovering a hidden “jewelry box” on 73rd Street next to RA Sushi.
It’s here that Veronica Diaz has brought her own hand-made lines of jewelry: necklaces, leather-wrap bracelets and rings to display and sell to appreciative customers.
Jewelry design and crafting has been a hobby Veronica has enjoyed for the past eleven years. Working out of her studio (1/2 of the family garage) in Kendall, she has been working school and church functions, fairs and art shows for several years.
A banker by education and profession from 1991 to 2012, she appreciates the opportunity to make her hobby a thriving business. She graduated from Miami-Dade College with her degree in Marketing/Management and received her Baccalaureate degree in Finance Management from FIU.
Her pieces are custom-made with natural stones, pearls, agates and her favorite, the “druzy.” Druzy Quartz gemstones is said to aid in balancing and increasing energy. Since ages it has been used to diagnose disease and is believed to enhance natural extrasensory perception abilities. Pieces are finished with gold and silver wire.
Her statement pieces are well-appreciated by her clients who live around SOMI in Pinecrest and Coral Gables.
Trendy Love Jewelry is open Tuesday – Friday from 10a – 2p and Saturday, 12-5p and by appointment.
5829 SW 73 Street | 305.206.0413
6620 SW 57 Avenue 7400 SW 57 Court 5831 Sunset Drive 5825 Sunset Drive
SOMISoNuEATS
New eateries will dot the SOMI landscape over the next several months. One is set and ready to go and another three are in the process of the City of South Miami approval processes, and most likely would be opening in the early Fall. SOMI Magazine will be covering these new spots after they’re open to serve customers.
EARTH, located in the former location of Temple, is a healthy fast-food concept serving custom bowls of salad, rice, quinoa, or barley/farro. Customers would choose from a variety of ingredients as a base (animal or plant-based protein), vegetables and prime vegetables, toppings, and dressings. EARTH will also offer different types of pasta that would be paired with homemade sauces, made from “nonna’s” Ligurian recipes. Other menu items include soups, cold-pressed juices, smoothies and shots. EARTH plans to be open seven days a week and will provide a delivery service. (305-397-8679 | )
Three other concepts are in development: Chinese, Hawaiian and Low- Country cuisine.
With the departure of New Chinatown on US1, the area has missed having a Chinese restaurant. In development by an established restaurant group will be an indoor dining restaurant located at 7400 SW 57 Court, where Tutti Bambini was located. The restaurant is yet unnamed.
At Red Road Commons (57 Avenue and Levante) the Apoké craze will make its presence known. A traditional Hawaiian dish for centuries, Poké is tuna chunks marinated in soy and sesame, and is now sweeping the nation as a food trend. Customers will soon be able to create their own Apoké bowl, salad or burrito at the new spot to open
in SOMI later in the year.
Another proposed venture comes from the Whisk siblings Kristin and Brendan Conner, who are in the process of developing an open window to the street eatery where Brewski’s was located on Sunset Drive. A popular eatery at their other SOMI location, their talents will most certainly follow on to Sunset Drive.
CITIES LINE UP TO PROMOTE BICYCLE SAFETY
AND AWARENESS
An ever-increasing number of people choose to ride bicycles in our South Florida communities as both a form of exercise and a means of commuting.
Unfortunately headlines in South Florida center on injuries and deaths from bicycle accidents—accidents that are preventable through bike safety educationand awareness, as well as through the construction of bike lanes.
Nonetheless the road to safety is slow and long. All involved—the city, thecounty, the Florida Department of Transportation, homeowners, business owners, planning departments, and zoning officials—have good intentions.
Unfortunately, though, progress is stalled because of decision-making red tape and, sometimes, conflicting city agendas.
South Miami Mayor Phillip K. Stoddard with BAC founder Richard A. CahlinThe demand for biking coupled with more people choosing to incorporate biking in their daily life, has outpaced the city planners to make our streets safer for cyclists.
Both the safety of our community and the health of our environment depend on bicycle-friendly future for our towns and cities.
The Bicycle Action Committee (BAC), a not-for-profit entity that promotes bike safety and awareness through joint-venture relationships with participating cities, is working towards this goal.
Founded in 2008 by accountant and avid cyclist Richard A. Cahlin, the BAC raises money by selling bike apparel featuring a city’s seal and colors. Cahlin presents at various city council meetings for permission to use a particular city’s seal and colors.
The BAC’s jerseys and shorts, manufactured by Veloce Speedwear and sold by Mack Cycle & Fitness, display visual safety monikers to alert oncoming automobiles to use caution as they approach cyclists. The clothing also exhibits the names of corporate sponsors, including the BAC’s main sponsor, EisnerAmper Accountants and Advisors.
Additionally, the BAC’s apparel prominently displays an education-patented depiction of two bike-riders—male and female—that the BAC intends to be the brand associated with bike safety and awareness. Proceeds go directly to the participating cities to fund various city bicycle initiatives.
So far, the BAC has partnered with thirteen South Florida cities. These municipalities, realizing the difficulty in retrofitting their roads to construct more bicycle paths, support the BAC’S cause.
Aventura, Coral Gables, The City of Doral, Fort Lauderdale, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, Miami, Miami Beach, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, South Miami, Surfside, and Sunny Isles all have granted the BAC permission to use their seals and colors. The BAC already has funded a mountain bike trail in Virginia Key for Miami, as well as bicycle racks for Coral Gables.
Future partnering municipalities include the cities of North Miami, the Town of Miami Lakes, and the City of Miramar. The BAC relies on these public- and private-sector partnerships to further its objective.
Cahlin, also the BAC’s CEO, describes the effort: “Bike safety and awareness is analogous to school lunches. Everyone is for it; however, trying to get a bike lane is a bureaucratic traffic jam.”
The BAC’s success—which translates to the safety of our bicycling community— depends on all of us. The BAC’s clothing sales fund local bike projects that promote bicycle safety and awareness; you can help by purchasing the BAC’s apparel.
Furthermore, you can support the BAC while simultaneously promoting your own business. The BAC needs sponsors to place their logos on its clothing. These logos will be seen not only here in South Florida, but also in cities across the country as cyclists network outside the State.
Besides potentially gaining national exposure, sponsors receive a jersey and shorts, as well as recognition in the BAC newsletter. And, because the BAC is a Section 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, all donations are tax-deductible.
It is time to seriously embrace bicycle safety and awareness and the need for bike lanes in our communities. Visit BicycleActionCommittee.com to join this venture.
Aventura, Coral Gables, The City of Doral, Fort Lauderdale, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, Miami, Miami Beach, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, South Miami, Surfside, and Sunny Isles.
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BAC apparel available at
