Striking Gold

An alchemist can turn other materials into gold. Roma and Erika Cohen and designer Renee Gonzalez have done exactly that at their Miami boutique The Alchemist, a retail oasis in the sky located on Lincoln Rd. The Cohens founded the Alchemist in 2008, and two years later they added a new location perched sixty feet in the air like a floating cloud and open to the Miami Beach sky. The hovering glass box inserted into the fifth floor of a parking structure designed by Herzog and de Meuron has 22-foot ceilings and walls that are either glass or mirrored.

Representing the spirit of the avant-garde, the Alchemist features an electric mix of uber high fashion from well known designers- think Martin Margiela, Rick Owens, Dries Van Noten, Chloe, and Givenchy-  to emerging brands. The dramatic glass and steel space is a haven for the jet-set shopper looking to strike fashion gold in Miami, and the selection of fashion, beauty, and lifestyle items is constantly changing, maintaining its freshness. The store is really a blank canvas, as the Cohens see so much of fashion intertwined with art, architecture, and furniture. The Alchemist speaks to a customer who not only carries a gold- or black- credit card, but someone who has a very strong aesthetic yet isn’t trendy. Who knew gold can be found in Miami? www.shopalchemist.com