A MotherSister Minute: Addy & Ferro
Part of the “How MomSis Got Her Mojo Back” campaign includes a wardrobe update, as I more or less stopped buying clothes for myself for a year after delivering The Scamp. (I was afraid that everything would go permanently south, but luckily I, ehrm, bounced back.) There are some cute boutiques around, but the place I’ve come to count on for recapturing my hottie-hood is Addy & Ferro. Fashion industry vet Erica Hutchinson has lived in Clinton Hill for a decade and has graced the neighborhood with a boho style mecca that perfectly captures the funkiness that I (and others) migrated here for. Vintage Vanity 6 and Carole King album covers on the wall, “I Love Black People” t-shirts and copies of The Way We Wore: Black Style Then on display, and seriously stylin’ women- and menswear on the racks – it’s pretty much impossible to leave the shop with just one thing. The Scamp (who was only 18 months old at the time) nodded in solemn approval at three dresses I modeled in the store earlier this summer, and he wouldn’t steer me wrong. Erica kindly took a MotherSister Minute to tell me more about her store.
OPENED: March 2005.
WHY FORT GREENE/CLINTON HILL: I wanted to do something in the neighborhood, to contribute to my community.
BESTSELLING ITEMS: It’s kinda all over the board, it’s hard to say. It really varies. I would say for fall, our coats are really popular, and in spring, it’s dresses. But the accessories, shoes, handbags, and menswear also do well.
COFFEE SHOP: Smooch.
ADVICE OR TIPS ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD: I love the diversity of it, the ethnic makeup, ages….I hope it’s something we can maintain.
Addy & Ferro is at 672 Fulton Street, between S. Elliott Pl. and S. Portland Ave. (tel. 718/246-2900). Open Tuesday through Friday from noon to 8pm, Saturday from 11 to 8pm, and Sunday from noon to 7pm.