Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette photos Amy Reed, center, owner of the boutique Chick at 717 Liberty Ave., Downtown, helps with model Maggie Malenock's hair during a photo shoot at the Clark Building last week. Click photo for larger image.

"Chick" has a ring of smallness.

Indeed, the new Downtown women's boutique bearing that name is rather compact -- fashionistas would say "intimate" -- at about 2,500 square feet.

Yet, Chick may have the most ambitious launch of any independent specialty store in Pittsburgh in recent years.

There are billboards at the Birmingham Bridge, on Bigelow Boulevard and in other prime locations across the city.

Large advertisements jump out from the pages of a dozen local magazines and newspapers.

There are radio spots and an extensive boutique "look" book, a feature usually developed by larger stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue or major designers.

A Web site, chickdowntown.com, allows customers to buy without setting foot in the store -- and awards one lucky person each month a $2,000 shopping spree for writing an essay on fashion.

Then there was the June 5 preview party, where a fleet of black stretch limousines ferried invitation-only guests from the store at 717 Liberty Ave. to a nearby bar.

Owner Amy Reed, 28, and her husband, Ira Gorman, 46, are working overtime to make their fledgling fashion enterprise thrive in a region where the economy is struggling, in a downtown where fashion retailers are disappearing, and on a block not known as a fashion destination.

The boutique opened May 15.

"Things are going amazing with the store," said Ms. Reed, a Seattle native who notes that customer traffic has picked up on Saturdays and lunchtime. "It is just getting busier and busier all the time."

Chick carries more than 100 different fashion brands, and counting, from New York, Los Angeles, England and Europe. Belts, bags, bling and other accessories are stocked, along with shoes and scarves. So there may be something of a space squeeze, she acknowledged, while they try to maximize space until the street-level store is able to expand.

Designed by Los Angeles interior designer Amy Thogmartin, the clean modern space is dominated by racks of clothes. In the rear, two giant mirrors lean against a wall outside three dressing rooms.

Like other independent specialty stores, Chick carries popular big-name lines while angling for some local exclusivity. In stock now -- or on their way -- are pieces from the latest collections by Diane von Furstenberg, Michael Kors, Betsey Johnson, M Missoni, See by Chloe, McQ by Alexander McQueen, Theory, Tibi, Trina Turk, Alice + Olivia and European lines such as Superfine Denim and Margo London.

Clothing prices range from $59 to roughly $900.

Richard Bryan, manager of Chick, adjusts clothing on a mannequin at the boutique. Click photo for larger image.

Offering something different and memorable is a strategy followed by other independents that have been able to survive Downtown. Larrimor's, which opened on Grant Street in 1939, continues to thrive on its reputation of providing superior merchandise and service. Joseph Orlando, a men's store on Liberty Avenue that celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, credits its survival to diversifying merchandise to meet changing customer tastes.

The availability of upscale pickings for women have been slim for years, so Chick is looking to fill a niche.

"I really want people to like the store," said Ms. Reed. "I want it to be a place where I would shop. I feel like I'm close to that goal. It will be as nice as any of the best stores in New York. I want it to be a store I'm proud of that reflects my taste."

She wants it to be a place where women of all ages can shop for every purpose, so there's a mix of daywear, sportswear and special occasion. She said mothers and daughters sometimes shop together at the store, which is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.

Opening a fashion retail store isn't cheap, especially in prime real estate. They declined to say how much money has been invested in the venture. While it clearly is substantial -- Mr. Gorman would say only "a very high number" -- rent is a tough budget line that may not be an issue for Chick. He owns the Clark Building, where the store is located.

Because most of the customer base has been people working Downtown, pricey parking hasn't been an issue, Ms. Reed said.

Not surprisingly, there were naysayers when she talked about her plans to open a boutique Downtown.

"Everybody said it wouldn't work," she said. "My answer to them is, the store is going really great. People are happy for another place in the city to shop. In other cities, downtown is the best place to shop. And I think it will be in Pittsburgh, too."

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is optimistic that the climate Downtown is improving to help stores such as Chick succeed.

"More and more people will be living Downtown, working Downtown, playing Downtown and now doing business Downtown. Pittsburgh's 89th neighborhood is realizing over $3 billion worth of investment, residential living is on the rise, and a new grocery store is opening -- all of this making for a ripe retail environment," said Joanna Doven, the mayor's spokeswoman.

Although fashion retail rivals can be ruthlessly cutthroat, competing businesses have been hospitable, Ms. Reed said.

"Saks has been very nice," she said. "They've been very welcoming. And Larrimor's."

Chick's manager, Richard Bryan, was working in visual merchandising at Saks -- until Ms. Reed heard glowing reports about him and hired him away.

She and her husband live primarily in New York, his hometown, where they regularly make buying trips and visit showrooms. Every item in the store is photographed and placed on the Web site, which requires photo shoots every few days.

The store's opening comes at an interesting time for the husband-and-wife team. They expect a baby boy in November.

"I pretty much work and sleep," said Ms. Reed. "But it's fun work."

"The way progress is going at this point has exceeded my expectations," she said. "And we've only been open three months."