Mickey Ashmore

Start with the shoes

Mickey Ashmore founded Sabah in New York in 2013, after living in Istanbul. In his account on Sabah’s website, a pair of traditional Turkish slippers led him to a shoemaker in Gaziantep. He worked on changes to the shape, leather, and sole, then began selling the shoes from his East Village apartment.

The origin matters because it is specific. There is a product, a place, and a relationship with the people making it. Sabah’s own story follows that thread through its workshops in Gaziantep and El Paso and its stores, known as Sabah Houses.

The shop as a gathering place

In a published interview with Highbeam, Ashmore describes opening his apartment to shoppers on weekends, hosting small gatherings, and letting word of mouth bring people through the door. The store was a place to spend time as well as buy shoes. He connects that approach to his preference for controlled growth and personal customer experiences.

That is the detail we keep coming back to: the experience around a product can be as recognizable as the product itself. A room, a conversation, and the way someone welcomes you are choices a brand makes. They also give people something concrete to remember and tell a friend.

A connection across cities

This is one reason Sabah belongs alongside the independent businesses and communities we cover in Las Vegas. The shared subject is how people create a reason to return. The settings and businesses are different, but that question travels. For The Know, following it opens up a more interesting network of stories.