CARROLL GARDENS—South Brooklyn residents may have noticed that a swath of boutiques on Smith Street were recently shuttered when the building that housed them went up for sale. Now blogger A Brooklyn Life reports that one has found a home nearby. "Flirt is no more on Smith Street, which is sad because it was one of my favorite neighborhood boutiques. The location in Park Slope is still active, however, so now I'll just have to schlep myself over to 5th Avenue. In better news, Refinery (a long-time neighborhood stalwart for great purses) is looking quite spiffy in its new space just a few doors down." [A Brooklyn Life]
SOHO—Submitted by a reader, a choice quote worthy of Overheard in New York: "'This place makes Prada look like Toys R Us.'—a man trying on clothes at the new Jil Sander store, this past Saturday." Zing. Prada employees, get ready to hang those vertical blinds. [RackedWire Inbox]
Just as word comes that the BoCoCa crowd is getting a new menswear destination, a reader emails the news that the neighborhood is losing one of the few good men's shops it has: Watts on Smith. The go-to source for preppyish basics from Ben Sherman, Jack Spade, Trovata and Paul Smith will be closing within the next few weeks after more than four years of business. The report:
Seems that the $100+ button down has no place in the Cobble Hill market. From the depths of my inbox: "After 5 years of being your source for menswear on Smith Street we have decided to close our doors. We had our time in the sun and now feel that it is time to move on. As you have supported us over the years, some of you from the very beginning, we wanted to show our appreciation to you and your loyalty by offering you a 50% discount on all merchandise before we mark the inventory for final sale. From May 31st to June 6th you will have your pick of the litter. Just utter the name ‘David Watts’ to the sales clerk, and the discount will be granted. Once again, we thank you for all of your support over the years and wish you all the best.”
Though Watts offered a well-edited selection of clothing and accessories from great designers, and there was always a decent selection of sale items to entice you in, it was located on the less-trafficked end of Smith Street. Perhaps that's what killed it?
· Watts on Smith [Official Site]
· Breaking: Steven Alan Brooklyn-Bound [Racked]
It's not as if Brooklynites needed another spot on Smith Street to break out the plastic, but we won't hold that against good-looking newcomer Epaulet. The chic men's and women's boutique, which opened last Thursday boasting a Walter pop-up shop, will eventually offer pieces from brands like Christopher Deane, Modern Amusement, Cheap Monday, Gram Footwear and Rogues Gallery. The space at 231 Smith has undergone a bit of a facelift since it was home to brightly-colored vintage sweater purveyor Ohio Knitting Mills which folded April 1st—what was rustic is now sleek and modern-looking (also, the floors have been swept clean of all traces of zig-zaggy sweaters). Owners Adele Berne and Michael Kuhle, both former buyers, are also planning more special store-within-a-stores, but brands are TBD at present time.
Epaulet 231 Smith between Butler and Douglass Sts, Brooklyn;
(718) 522-3800
Tue—Sat noon—8pm; Sun noon—6pm Website
The lookbook for Geren Ford's Urban Outfitters line, hitting stores in May, via Chic Report
CARROLL GARDENS—The identity of the new tropical-seeming boutique at 231 Smith has been revealed: it is to be called Epaulet. The men's and women's clothing store is coming strong out of the gate with a Walter pop-up shop starting May 8th and running through June 12th. The 8th is also the date of the shop's grand opening party (from 7:30 to 10pm). Expect more pop-ups from the boutique in the future. [RackedWire]
NEW YORK CITY—Shoe chain Naturalizer will be accepting gently-used shoes from May 3rd through the 11th. According to Daily Dose, "they will donate them and a pair of brand new Naturalizer shoes to the charity, Dress for Success, as well as offer a 20% discount on a pair for yourself." That's nice of them. [Daily Dose]
MEPA—A bunch of Tiffany staffers helped clean up the High Line last week. The park's blog has photos of the exercise, in which the all-female crew bagged up trash that was then hauled off by the parks department. Beats a day behind the display case? [High Line Blog]
CARROLL GARDENS—The Brooklyn Indie Market, the bazaar that sits under a little collection of striped tents on a lot at the corner of Smith and Union Streets, is opening for the season this Saturday, May 3rd. According to the press release we received on the market, "opening festivities include unplugged indie musicians, temporary tattoo parlour for kids of all ages, face painting, kiddie artisan-craft workshops by Stars and Sprinkles and BIM's designers, giveaways and meet-and greet with indie designers." [RackedWire]
Taking a break from inking the Brooklyn Bridge onto someone's torso, tattoo artist and Brooklyn Tattoo owner Adam $uerte sends word that his parlor is now officially open at 99 Smith Street in Boerum Hill. The less-than-a-week-old location is much larger than their old space at 99 Atlantic Avenue in the Heights, and now has the benefit of being situated on the area's busiest shopping stretch. Adam, a local who's "tattooed most of the bartenders on Smith," tells us that they are doing tattoos now (obviously), and will begin to offer piercing closer to the summer. To celebrate the move, the staff is throwing a benefit party at Southpaw on Thursday night; details can be found here.
Brooklyn Tattoo
99 Smith St between Pacific St and Atlantic Ave,
Boerum Hill, Brooklyn; (718) 643-1610
Tue—Sun 1—9pm Website
SMITH STREET—Following a massive sale, the Ohio Knitting Mills store at 231 Smith Street in Boerum Hill has shuttered. Pardon Me For Asking has a shot of their teary shutter signage (pictured above). These are hard times for the eyesore-sweater business, that's for sure. [Pardon Me For Asking]
MIDTOWN EAST—A Racked commenter tells of the insanity of opening day at the Elie Tahari sample sale on Fifth Avenue. "Total madhouse swarming with women, flying elbows, hanger poking and all. Obviously, cute work attire for about 50-70%. I went home with a taupe colored skirt suit. I think their highlight was probably the shoes & bags. They had all their bags in the $250-350 range, regular retail was up to $900 i think—they also had the ashton ballet flat in a lot of colors and sizes for $99—super comfy!" [Racked Comments]
Label:Ohio Knitting Mills Deal: Store Closing Sale, with 50% off colorful sweaters, pants, shirts, dresses and socks When/Where:Friday, March 28th through Sunday, March 30th. Fri noon—7pm, Sat noon—8pm; Sun noon—6pm. 231 Smith St between Butler and Douglass Sts, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn (718-596-7103).
SOHO—Nylon has a few more details about the Acne store that'll be moving into the former Cloak space at 10 Greene Street this month. "In addition to serving as the flagship for Acne Film, Acne Creative, Acne JR, Acne Digital, and Acne Paper, the boutique—which has a Swedish Gustavian aesthetic (painted 18th-century furniture, antique accoutrements)—will stock the brand’s ready-to-wear and accessories collections, and, of course, jeans." They also mention that the space is only 100 square feet—which seems impossibly small. [Nylon]
BOCOCA—Smith Street's about to get a tattoo parlor. Cobble Hill Blog reports that Brooklyn Tattoo is moving from a storefront in Brooklyn Heights to 99 Smith, right next door to the recently-revamped St. Claire Diner. The new location is slated to open April 10th. [Cobble Hill Blog]
The Brooklyn Paper has coined a term for increasingly similar retail stretches Smith Street in BoCoCa and Fifth Avenue in Park Slope. It is, painfully, Smifth. "Smith Street and Fifth Avenue are becoming mirror images of one another—thanks to at least half a dozen entrepreneurs opening shops on both streets. Call it 'Smifth Avenue.' Lucia, Something Else, Soula and Flirt, plus chains like Brooklyn Industries and Area Kids, have staked a claim on both streets...In almost all cases, shop owners opened their first outlet on Smith Street before expanding to Fifth Avenue." [The Brooklyn Paper]
According to Racked sources, a streetwear store is setting up shop on Smith Street between Wycoff and Bergen Streets in BoCoCa—the retail stretch's very first. Early intel on the place is limited, but here's what we know: The name of the place is gonna be Rime; they'll be selling tees, hoodies, sneakers, hats and the like from brands like Alife. If anyone can fill us in further, the tipline is open.
Do chain stores hurt property values in a neighborhood? You know, "relative to what they would be if the streets were filled with eclectic local businesses offering unique wares and a cozy atmosphere? Some realtors and developers think so, while others say the opposite, that the inevitable influx of national chains brings value to a neighborhood by providing services." [Brooklyn Eagle]
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CARROLL GARDENS—South Brooklyn residents may have noticed that a swath of boutiques on Smith Street were recently shuttered when the building that housed them went up for sale. Now blogger A Brooklyn Life reports that one has found a home nearby. "Flirt is no more on Smith Street, which is sad because it was one of my favorite neighborhood boutiques. The location in Park Slope is still active, however, so now I'll just have to schlep myself over to 5th Avenue. In better news, Refinery (a long-time neighborhood stalwart for great purses) is looking quite spiffy in its new space just a few doors down." [A Brooklyn Life]
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