It seems Charming Charlie’s time has come. The accessories chain -- named last month as an ICSC “Hot Retailer” – is being welcomed with open arms by not only the women it is helping outfit but innumerable owners and managers of retail space. (After all, these days, hot and growing retailers are a rare breed and vacant space an all too common one.)

Accessories have always been the key to pulling together an outfit and making a statement but, in tough economic times, they become even more essential. A new scarf, a different handbag, or an eye-catching necklace can change the look of fashion basics – allowing women to give the illusion of possessing a far more extensive, and up-to-date, wardrobe than they could otherwise afford.

But where Charming Charlie’s differentiates itself from the garden-variety accessories store (or accessories departments) is how the concept merchandises its goods – by color. This unique approach allows shoppers to quickly and easily accessorize a particular outfit (and no doubt earns Charming Charlie’s a few incidental impulse sales.)

The accessories concept’s stores typically run from 6,000 to 10,000 sq. ft. Most are in open-air shopping centers (from neighborhood to community to lifestyle) but freestanding locations can work as well.

Charming Charlie is moving fast, expanding within a matter of years from its original base in Texas, into the South, and now has designs on the Chicago area and the East Coast. (The chain currently operates in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.) Twelve locations are scheduled to open between June and July alone: two in Arizona, three in Florida, one each in Georgia, Illinois and Kentucky, three in Missouri, and one in Ohio.

To learn more, check out the company’s website at www.CharmingCharlie.com. The corporate address is Charming Charlie, 5999 Savoy Drive, Houston, TX 77036, (713) 789-5999, fax: (713) 789-5995. For real estate inquiries or site submittal, please contact The Retail Connection, LP via either David Sacher at dsacher@theretailconnection.net (phone: 214-572-8444) or John Doubleday jdoubleday@theretailconnection.net (phone: 214-572-8408.)