Written By Mikal Saint George
I have a tendency
to believe that bad things happen when you leave Manhattan. There is always
a subliminal fear that the Hudson and East Rivers are akin to the River
Styx. In an effort to relieve myself of this unfounded phobia I recently
decided to pay the ferryman (or in this case ride the F train) and visit
Smith Street in Brooklyn's Cobble Hill section. Okay, photographer
Evan Sung enlightened me to the area. Had he not held my hand and walked
me through the area step by step I never would have made it there and back.
More than a district defined by the financial needs of some over enthusiastic
realtor (There is a campaign underway referring to the area as BoCoCa -
BOerum hill, CObble hill, CArroll gardens. I can just see the P.R. pro "thinking
out of the box" to create "fun" adjectives that convey a "funky" place
to shop.) Smith Street represents a lifestyle under a major threat of extinction.
The area has the charm of the west village with the cutting edge style of SoHo
and the makings of the same kind of cache as TriBeCa. Streets are lined
with Federal and Italianate townhouses...this section of Brooklyn has more
original townhouses than all of Boston! Shops are chic and genuinely stylish
with an emphasis on high quality style. Restaurants are comfortable and
sophisticated with a range running the gamut from Parisian quaint to solid
all-American.
What is lacking? A complete lack of pretension for one thing. Shopkeepers and
restaurant employees are genuinely happy to see people coming into their
establishments. They take pride in their wares and, believe it or not, take
pride in their work.… A definite must is HOME & HAVEN. Like the
name says this is an A-1 destination for nest feathering. The shop boasts
a vast array of home decor items, all of which are handmade by artisans
from all over the world. This is NOT however a "crafty" kind
of place. There are no Amish Country pot holders or decorative Kitchen Witches
to be found. Think hand wrought flatware, hand blown stemware, luscious fabrics
and "global luxury for the home."
HOME & HAVEN | 243 Smith St. | Ph: 718-875-1775 | On
The Web: www.homehavennyc.com
H & H owners Nadia Surapanpong and Mona Zaabi are charming, friendly and incredibly
knowledgeable. Both have traveled the world extensively - Zaabi is fluent in
six languages - and both display the kind of passion for their business that
is becoming lost in a world of franchises and central buying offices. Both have
had careers in other fields and have chosen this venture because they want to
follow something they love and make a kind of difference. Many of the artisans
featured in the shop are women from developing countries that offer few, if any,
economic possibilities to the female population.
A fabulous hand sewn, double-sided silk bedspread (I guessed a retail price
of $1,000.00 in fact it sells at Home & Haven for $295.00. ABC Carpet & Home
be damned!) features a label with the artisan's name on it. "She was so surprised
that we didn't want our private label sewn on!" recalls Nadia. "It was hard
for her to believe that, yes we want to make a profit but we also want to promote
her work and open new doors for her and others like her!" See if there is anyone
on the seventh floor of Bergdorf's with a similar opinion.
This is without a doubt a holiday gift bonanza (do I sound like I am thinking
out of the box yet?). The inventory includes Turkish glass tea sets that look
jewel-like enough to be a Cartier window, hand woven throw pillows that manage
to simultaneously be utterly modern and completely classic to complete gift sets
for the dog and cat on Santa's list. All is completely affordable and they will
even ship for you. I love this place!
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