Another Long-Time Shop In Brookline Closes

BROOKLINE, MA — If you've ever stepped foot into Sana Belle in Brookline Village, you know that once you did, you'd be quickly greeted by the owner and the sight of colorful fabrics, dresses and scarves from all around the world.

"I saw my job as giving information. I don't want to be sold to. So, I never wanted to sell to others," said Belle Sana, who's owned the shop for more than two decades and made trips to Indonesia, Thailand, Ecuador and all over to find pieces of clothes and jewelry to fill the tiny space to the brim.

"When I was a kid I remember the feeling of being sold to," she told Patch in an interview. "I hated it. I see my job as giving information - if they wanted it. If they ask me about the fabric, I'd tell them: If they wanted to know if they looked good in something, things like that. That has kept me alive for the 21 years. "

Now, after all those years, and working seven days a week, and watching her two children grow up running around the neighborhood and under the clothing racks, she is closing the business named for her.

She and her husband plan to move to Bali where her mother-in-law, who is 91, still lives to "
hang out with her," now that their children are grown.

It's also getting harder to be in business: She doesn't have a website, many of her customers are retiring, some have died, some have moved away.

"But, I would not be interested in doing it much different than I do now," she said. "It's time to do something else. All the ducks lined up."

It all started the late '80s early '90s when Sana, who grew up watching her parents run an importing business, moved to the Boston area. And then the art major started bringing cool fabrics she found in New York, where she was from, and wares to Harvard Square's market with the crowd of artist types there.

It grew: She started traveling to certain countries to find certain things: She went to Thailand, Indonesia, and her mother went to Ecuador, all in pursuit of fun, unique pieces. And then she was so surrounded by great stuff, she rented a space in the old multicultural center in Jamaica Plain.

"That's when I would wake up surrounded by 300 Ecuadorian hand knit sweaters," she remembers with a chuckle.

Eventually, the landlord there needed to sell, and someone told her about a space in the village, close to JP - with a basement.

"I signed on the dotted line and have been here ever since," she said.

Sana is a people person and has enjoyed her time at the shop chatting and making connections. At one point, WBUR's Deborah Becker came in to buy a jacket to wear at a lecture she needed to give, remembers Sana. The two got to chatting and it led to a connection and sparked an idea for Sana's daughter, who later got a job at the radio station.

Sana has trusted people, she said, letting people take out tabs even, and has rarely been disappointed, she said.

Recently, she saw a man walking by her shop with a puffy jacket held together in some places by duct tape, and she wanted to help. She grabbed a scarf and ran after him with the intention of giving it away. In the end, he told her he didn't feel comfortable just taking it.

"That was hard, I had to let it go," she said.

But, she is looking forward to donating the clothing she didn't sell before she closes her doors the last time Thursday, Jan. 31, to the Boys and Girls Club in Dorchester and a senior center.

Is there one thing she's taking away from her time in Brookline? People are good.

"For the most part people are nice and people are helpful," she said. "Rents are higher and people are leaving, but for everyone who leaves, eventually someone else takes their place."

When she moved in there were a lot of antique dealers in the village, now there's hardly any, she said.

"But the nature of life is change," said Sana."Someone came in here looking at the space the other day thinking about putting a gelato store here; someone else came in thinking about a dog day care."

Who knows what will become of the space in which she has spent so many hours getting to know so many people. She has had a great time, she told Patch.

But she is focused on the future.

"You can't miss something til you miss it. I have no idea what I'm going to miss, until I have the experience," said Sana.

Next up, she'll be cleaning out her Cambridge apartment and deciding what comes with her to Bali. Probably not the heavy Ecuadorian sweaters.

Related:

• Best Burger Bar Closes In Brookline Village
• Clover Food Lab In Brookline Village Is Closing
• Brookline KooKoo Cafe To Change Hands

Photos by Jenna Fisher/Patch Staff