Smith Street
Smith Street
The setting of the book takes place in Brooklyn, New York, the original home-base for the author and designer, Stacia, and where Mabel's character takes shape. The early days were in 1998 when the budding designer quit her job on Seventh Avenue to open up a tiny storefront on a desolate street in her neighborhood, Carroll Gardens. The sleepy street, known as Smith Street, was full of empty storefronts and was conveniently located between two F train subway stops where hip New Yorkers commuted from their spacious brownstone walk-ups to their corporate and creative jobs in Manhattan. Affordable rents, walking distance from the designer's home, and excellent foot-traffic location, inspired the unknown designer to set up shop where she could sew her creations in the back and sell them in the front of the store. This is where our story begins...
The original Brooklyn storefront of Stacia New York circa 1998.
The corner boutique was located in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn on Smith Street.
The boutique's decor was an eclectic mix of antique fixtures, vintage finds, and the designer's own family heirloom, an old Singer sewing machine owned by her Great Grandfather. Today the sewing machine graces the entry way of the designer's Pacific Palisades home.
Mabel the dress form in full glory and center stage at the designer's boutique. Today, Mabel is retired and perched in the corner of the designer' dining room in Pacific Palisades, CA. But sometimes, the designer still drapes a few muslins on her now and then to keep Mabel happy!