"Texas talks to our customers...to the people we are accustomedto selling to," Brett Saevitzon, president and CEO of Purebeauty,tells GlobeSt.com. The Texas launch of the upscale retail venuewill bring stores to the Arbors on Preston Road in North Dallas;and Champions Village, Rice Village and River Oaks, all in Houston.A fifth lease, a standard five-year retail package, is still beingnegotiated. All will open in the summer, with Rice Village takingthe lead June 19. In the next two years, Dallas-Fort Worth andHouston each will get another seven shops; Austin will get four;and San Antonio makes the list with a couple locations.

Once the Texas wave gets under way, Florida will be seated nextas the retailer pushes East in a plan to open 40 stores in 2004. By2005, Saevitzon says the portfolio will contain close to 150stores, with the collection featuring premier sites in thenortheast. Right now, there are 50 shops in California, three inArizona and one in Las Vegas: all 2,500-sf boutique designs andcorporate owned.

Saevitzon has hired Christopher Thomas, vice president ofDallas-based Weitzman Group, to find and sign the Dallas locationswhile Walter Salek of Read, King & Luther in Houston steers theSouth Texas search. "Dallas," Saevitzon says, "has been somewhatdifficult to find the right location because there's usuallysomeone in there." He's coming to Dallas in a few days to tour thetown for some possible matches to his private label.