The Diva Den located in North Scottsdale…brags, “Divas Don’t Die, They Buy” and this place brings a lot more to the table than the “normal” shopping experience.

The assortment of fabulous vintage 2000’s and late 90’s clothing and accessories scrapes the surface of what co-owners Kalysta Mallory and Joseph Leeds are capable of.

Just ask them.

They not only had a dream in mind, but an experience—and it’s for whoever wanders in the door, curious about, or taken in with the world that is fashion.

Leeds is the co-director of Arizona fashion week as well as a board member of the Arizona Costume Institute at the Phoenix Art Museum.

Mallory can be seen on the July 2021 cover of Playboy Magazine Australia and the Paramount+ reality TV series, “love allways.”

Touring the shop, one will find handcrafted jewelry made by a local artist, areas of “opportunity” for photo-shoots, and of course, the “boyfriend couch” a very intentional decoration.

“We really wanted to sell a fantasy,” Leeds said.

Mallory told Northeast Valley News, “We’ve been coined as your rich best friend’s closet.”

In an open wall next-door, a tarot card reading room welcomes Diva’s guests, led by Leeds mother.

The grand opening in 2024 was not an ordinary ribbon-cutting.

They opened with a Valentine’s Day fashion show titled “Diva’s Debut” including a vintage showgirl theme with a turnout of more than 200 guests.

“We opened with a fashion show because we wanted to create something a little larger than life,” Leeds said.

The Diva Den is also hired out for events— or one can book for private use.

“We’re not trying to be event girls, but we just are, and we host really good ones. We’ve yet to have a flop— not a motherfucking one. The cookie cutter fashion show is not what we’re doing, we are putting on theatrical productions, babe,” Mallory said.

Consisting of seasonal fashion shows, ‘serve offs’ described as their take on a costume contest, pool parties, birthday parties, free photo Fridays (once a month), and comedy shows where portions of the proceeds go to local charities.

They even turned the Den into a haunted house for Halloween festivities.

Leeds and Mallory began by combining their closets and their heads.

“Just our hoarding alone literally could fill this store out ten times over,” Mallory said.

They accept clothing donations and also offer pieces on consignment.

Due to Leed’s connection with Arizona Fashion week, models are often used from that source— models can also be found by word of mouth and Diva Den’s growing Instagram account where they will post casting calls for fashion shows and similar events.

The duo has devoted an extreme amount of time and effort into growing their brand.

“You picked the right store, if you go into another store they would have had not shit to say, ‘but we love vintage and we’re shopping all the time and that’s all we fucking do,’— That’s all they all do. They literally get up, go work retail, fold some clothes and go the fuck home…like, Joe (Leeds) and I don’t quit at all, and we make a joke that the store is just a front,” Mallory said.

The pair wants to create a safe space for individuals to find their creative self and encourage them to show it off, as they offer styling and shopping assistance and rentals for the more eccentric or expensive pieces.

“Retail is like, it’s obviously like a big part of what we do, but at the end of the day the community building, the opportunity creation, and the low key like the confidence boosters that we do in the space because like we have girls walk in here like really timid, really quiet, they don’t really know, they don’t feel comfortable within themselves, and then they’re walking out—diva, cigarette in hand, you know, hair teased, they’re ready to go,” Leeds said.

“We are giving the regular girl an opportunity, and like, you can’t tell. You would never be able to tell when we’re done with somebody that it was their first time walking,” Leeds said referring to the models chosen for shows.

These are your biggest cheerleaders for harboring a space to wear that one item of clothing you have nowhere to wear, catering to the majority of ages, sizes, and demographics.

“We’ve had girls that are 18 coming in here, like revamp my closet, we’ve had girls that are 65 come in here—and ask us to revamp their closet.”

“We do cater to like a young, even young at heart, feminine energy,” Leeds said.

Pricing ranges from $5 all the way up to $1,500.

They’re trying to stay affordable and obtainable to all but still deliver higher end apparel.

You can find a $5 bin with a variety of attire, or a second-hand Balenciaga city retailing for approximately $2,500 dollars—in-store for about $700 dollars.

Mallory told Northeast Valley they are about “serving it” to their customers, not about money.

Although Leeds and Mallory work on everything they can to expand their business, they do need some help in the background and three committed “daughters” help them bring ideas to life.

“This world is still very like, modest and cut and clean and cookie cutter and we’ve had opportunities turned away from us because of the nature of our business and because of the nature of us being so tea,” Mallory said.

“It’s a place for people to hang out, for people to loiter. We’re not going to like stare at you ugly if you don’t purchase something. Like we’re here to create an environment and a community. And it just so happens to be that we also sell clothing.” If we could’ve just opened up like a gorgeous building that was like vibrantly decorated and like a space for people to hang out, like, we would have done that,” Leeds said.

The Diva Den is two people’s dream come to life.

It’s a one-of-a-kind experience at Diva Den 9261 E Via De Ventura in Scottsdale.

“Don’t go to the mental hospital, don’t go to the doctor, just come to the Diva Den.”