Handbag Designer Looks to Fulfill Dream in Newton Centre

Newton Centre has a new stylish hotspot to pick out this season's handbags. 

Shaunt Sarian, a handbag designer, recently opened up new Union Street boutique -- Sarian Handbags and Accessories. His opening party was held last Thursday, complete with extravagant food, wine and music as an impressive crowd of Boston fashionistas and Newtonites browsed for the perfect handbag.

"Over forty years ago, I started designing handbags in my family workshop in Lebanon and still get excited with the finished piece," Shaunt says. "I try to include many textures in my bags and travel abroad to find the fabrics and skins. I use exotic materials such as ostrich, alligator, Italian leathers, suede, polished python and patent leather."

Sarian explains that his collections are made up of limited edition pieces, with no more than 25 pieces of any one design. The Union Street boutique boasts eye-catching clutches in red patent leather, eloquent stream-lined backpacks in pearlized alligator and playful evening bags.

"They are not just a stylish trend," Sarian adds. "They are a design enticed by a European flair that makes a statement."

Other familiar faces Thursday night included Amanda Stout, who works in the city's Planning Department, as well as Cecil Elrod of William H. Harris Furs, a furrier based out ofRhode Island that features some of Sarian's high-end bags.  

"Sarian's bags are a huge seller for us," Elrod says. "One woman purchased three of the same bag in different skins." 

Before coming to the U.S., Sarian says he had a dream where his home, workshop and boutique would all be housed in one building. Although that dream didn't quite come true, he did find what he sees as a great spot for his new boutique. 

Sarian says he didn't want his shop to be in a large, corporate environment but instead, a place where people would stroll by, window shop and stop in for a bag they may have seen in the window. 

"Newton Centre has that feeling of a neighborhood, a friendly walking community with an interesting mix of stores with unique products," Sarian says. "I was very lucky to find this space."

But it's not just handbags you'll find inside 95M Union Street -- Stephanie Charlip owns Pearl & Jewelry Designs and is also located in Sarian's space on Union Street. Charlip explains that she stopped in one day to browse through the bags when the two entrepreneurs realized they could work together.

"I mentioned that I was doing some jewelery design and we realized that we were a good fit," Charlip says. "After all, Sarian and I design our own products, we make the materials and they are high quality."