Once upon a time, the most fashionable New Yorkers dwelled somewhere south of Fourteenth Street and north of Canal. They shopped for designer threads in SoHo and bohemian vintage in the East Village, and there was little room for competition in a borough as gritty as Brooklyn. Boy, have times changed.
Thanks to some of the most innovative designers and entrepreneurs who have planted their flags this side of the East River, neighborhoods like Park Slope, Prospect Heights, and Gowanus offer an electrifying array of high-end boutiques, affordable vintage shops, unique jewelry and home goods stores, and even the bridal shop of an unconventional Brooklyn girl’s dreams.
Here is a glimpse into the lives and inspirations of some of your favorite neighborhood designers and shopkeepers:
FLIRT
93 Fifth Avenue, Park Slope
(718) 783-0364
Hours: Mon.–Sun. 11:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m.
flirt-brooklyn.com
Seryn Potter is the first to admit you can trip over cute clothing in Brooklyn. “But cute and looks good on you are two completely different things,” the designer says. “At the end of the day it comes down to flattery of the person wearing it. We are consumed by fit, fabric, and what maximizes the potential of what everyone can wear.” Alongside partners Heather Falcone and Patti Gilstrap, Potter opened the first Flirt boutique in 2000 in Carroll Gardens. In 2004, they expanded and moved to Park Slope, where Flirt has gained a loyal following of women who flip for its shoes, quirky-cute accessories, and vintage-inspired dresses, skirts, and bathing suits by local designers such as Karina Cousineau, Melissa Bell, and Emily G. “Our dresses are built for curvy figures, have nips in the waist, stretchy, soft jersey fabrics that never wrinkle, and can be hand washed,” Potter says. “They’re really great for moms.” And if you’re in the market for something completely different, choose among seven different skirt styles and collaborate with Flirt to design your very own custom skirt.
HOOTI COUTURE
321 Flatbush Avenue, Prospect Heights
(718) 857-1977
Hours: Tue.–Sun. 11a.m.–8 p.m.
hooticouture.com
Before some of her vintage ‘80s-loving customers were even born, Hooti Couture owner Alison Houtte could be seen rocking shoulder pads and dresses by Courrèges in magazines like Vogue. After a successful twelve-year run as a model, Houtte turned her attention to helping others discover the joys of vintage. Although her first boutique was locate in Park Slope, she has since found a larger space in Prospect Heights to which she credits the “best landlords in the world” for making it possible. “North Flatbush is the Village of thirty years ago,” Houtte says. She fills her shop with eclectic, but wearable pieces that range from ‘50s cropped bolero mink jackets to chunky gold jewelry and ‘70s day dresses. Most pieces are priced twenty-five to eighty-five dollars, with higher-end items mixed in for good measure. “If I like it and it’s funky and fun, I buy it,” she says. “Brooklyn is not about the Gucci and Prada—it’s about where’d you get that funky dress? I’ve hopefully created a welcoming environment that is colorful, fun, and inexpensive.”
COZBI
351 Fifth Avenue, Park Slope
(718) 246-7960
Hours: Tue.-Sat. 11 a.m.–7 p.m., Sun. 12 p.m.–5 p.m.
cozbi.com
If you’re looking to build your wardrobe with well-made, mostly classic pieces that boast an impeccable fit, Cozbi is your haven. Owner and designer Cozbi A. Cabrera got her start designing for Sony Music, where she dabbled at first in creating gorgeous cloth dolls that immediately garnered the attention of art collectors. After experiencing success with her first shop in Carroll Gardens where she sold her dolls and children’s clothing, she felt committed to responding to her client’s needs. “A lot of women had difficulty fitting clothing,” Cabrera says. “What is standard in the fashion industry doesn’t work for them. So I would actually take their measurements and fit the clothes to them.” In 2011, Cabrera moved to her Park Slope location, where she expanded her line of women’s attire. “We’re not offering fast-food clothing,” she says. “We are warm, welcoming, and flexible. And we’re not too sexy for our shorts.”
COG & PEARL
190 Fifth Avenue, Park Slope
(718) 623-8200
Hours: Tue.–Sat. 12 p.m.–8 p.m., Sun. 12 p.m.–6 p.m.
cogandpearl.com
What do you get when a musician and a writer open up a home goods shop in Park Slope? A successful neighborhood favorite that carries everything from terrarium kits to embroidered pillows by Coral & Tusk to gorgeous hand-soldered necklaces by Marjorie Victor made—where else—but in Brooklyn. Since opening in 2002, owners Seth Walter and Kristin Overson have remained committed to offering customers one-of-a-kind goods that won’t break the bank. “Our customers want things that are well priced, beautiful, and functional,” Walter says. The enterprising duo are so immersed in the community that there was no question where they could open shop. “Our favorite restaurants and stores are on Fifth Avenue,” Walter says. “We wanted to be part of the renaissance.”
KIWI
119 Seventh Avenue, Park Slope
(718) 622-5551
Hours: Mon–Fri 11 a.m. –7 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m.–6 p.m.,
Sun. 12 p.m.–6 p.m.
kiwidesignco.com
Before opening Kiwi, Christine Alcalay embarked on a corporate design career that had little to do with Brooklyn—until she met friend and future business partner Marlene Siegel. “I had never stepped foot in Brooklyn, but Marlene convinced me to check out Park Slope,” Alcalay says. “I felt like I walked into this romantic storybook neighborhood.” When they opened shop in 2002, naysayers predicted the high-end boutique wouldn’t last. Eleven years later, they’re still going strong, thanks to the duo’s meticulously selected clothing and accessories by designers like Vince, Splendid, J Brand, Qi Cashmere, and Michael Stars. “Our customers range from women in their early twenties to eighties,” Alcalay says. “They are modern women juggling a million things at a time who want fashion to be effortless.”
DIANA KANE
229-b Fifth Avenue, Park Slope
(718) 638-6520
Hours: Tue.–Fri. 12 p.m.–7 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m.–8 p.m.,
Sun. 11 a.m.–7 p.m.
dianakane.com
Diana Kane admits she followed her husband to Park Slope in 1995 kicking and screaming. “I was like, what do you mean you can’t get Chinese at two in the morning?” Kane laughs. “Then I had kids and realized it was the best place in the world.” The jewelry designer and boutique owner has held court in the Slope since 2002 and her customers have come to trust her instincts when it comes to jewelry, handmade perfumes, beautiful candles, and sustainable and well-made women’s clothing, most of which is manufactured in the USA. Kane focuses on selling pieces that are made from fine quality fabrics and that meet her clientele’s desire for “refined comfort.” Needless to say, she’s changed her tune about the neighborhood. “It’s very much a small town in a big city,” she says. “You have the best of both worlds.”
HOMEBODY BOUTIQUE
449 Seventh Avenue, Park Slope
(718) 369-8980
Hours: Wed.–Sat. 12 p.m.–8 p.m.; Sun. 1p.m.–8 p.m.;
Tue. 12 p.m.–7 p.m.
homebodyboutique.com
Kate Silver may have settled in Williamsburg and Greenpoint when she moved here from Missouri in 1996, but while hunting for spots in which to open her houseware, gift, and jewelry shop, the art school alum fell in love with Park Slope. “I just love how neighborhoody it is,” Silver says. “It’s not like in the city where people don’t know each other. They share.” In addition to selling her own unique line of housewares, Silver has given other Brooklyn artists a chance to display their talents. The result is a shop that carries colorful blown glass goblets alongside gun-shaped combs, skull nightlights, soy candles, and agate snake rings.
REBECCA SCHONEVELD
Bridal Design Studio
516 Third Avenue, Gowanus
(718) 788-3849
Hours: Mon.–Wed. and Fri–Sat. 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
rebeccaschoneveld.com
A few years ago, Rebecca Schoneveld was let go of from her corporate design job. A few weeks later, a fire ripped through her Park Slope apartment—around the same time she discovered she was pregnant. Instead of panicking, the California-born transport cleaned out her studio, designed a few pretty maternity dresses, and tried her luck with them on Etsy. She sold her first dress within two hours and realized she never had to work for someone else again. While creating streamlined and modern bridal dresses within the confines of her 220 square-foot apartment, Schoneveld became overwhelmed with orders and sought a bigger space in Gowanus. She designs each dress with her Brooklyn client in mind. “A lot of girls feel like wedding dresses are so old-fashioned, but they don’t want to upset their moms,” Schoneveld says. “I design dresses that have a really nice fabric, quality fit and cut, and that are easy and not trying too hard.”
1 OF A FIND
633 Vanderbilt Avenue, Prospect Heights
(718) 789-2008
Hours: Daily, 12 p.m.–8 p.m.
1ofafindvintage.com
There’s vintage, and then there’s cocktail vintage. With racks dripping in deliciously decadent dresses and blouses by Guy Laroche, Christian Dior, and Morgane Le Fay, 1 of a Find owner Honey Moon knows her customers expect unique, but impeccably well-made party pieces. The savvy shopper relocated to Prospect Heights three years ago from Park Slope and has since gotten to know her clientele. “Everyone has their own definition of vintage,” Moon says. “We have grandmothers who come in and are amazed by the Victorian pieces and twenty-year-olds who love the ‘90s pieces.”
