Liza's Lace Atelier opens in Southold
Boutique owner Brigitte Quinn at Liza's Lace Atelier in Southold. Credit: Landfall Studios/Jess Paul
Liza’s Lace Atelier reminds that boutiques often reflect their owners. “Walking into my store is like taking a peek into my mind,” says shop owner Brigitte Quinn, 29. “It’s about 80% vintage items and 20% new.”
Open since June, the store features dresses and everyday clothes, jewelry and accessories. “I love the mix of old and new. I love the mix of feminine and masculine,” Quinn says. “I love to mix a lacy Edwardian dress with a ’70s black leather coat.”
Quinn has collected vintage pieces since she was a girl, inspired by a desire for individuality. She’s drawn to fabrics and silhouettes over labels. Her fall assortment leans into shades of black, brown and navy.
Prices run from $15 for vintage bandanas to $600 for some dresses and lingerie pieces. Beaded, silver and gold jewelry runs $15 to $450, shoes $55 to $250 and handbags $15 to $95.
The boutique marks the first retail venture for Quinn, who got married in July and lives in Brooklyn and Greenport. She grew up in Port Jefferson and spent many weekends visiting her grandmother in Southold.
After studying international business at Baruch College in New York City, she worked in the wholesale side of the fashion industry. “I had been trying to venture out and sell vintage clothes on my own online,” she says.
Through a job as a nanny for a family in Southold, Quinn got to know the town’s business community. Last fall, Quinn, who’d dreamed of opening a store, hosted a vintage clothing pop-up at Lori Guyer’s White Flower Farmhouse. “It really gave me the confidence to move forward with the idea,” says Quinn.
She sources merchandise through estate sales and markets in Paris; Florence, Italy; and upstate New York. A collection of scarves, like most previously owned items, have a story. They belonged to Elizabeth Sweetheart, an artist known as The Green Lady of Brooklyn because of her love for the color. They run $15 to $45.
Quinn plans to introduce a wedding collection and a men’s and unisex section, plus events such as block printing and embroidery workshops that she’ll announce on Instagram.
Quinn named her store after her Turkish angora cat who was called Liza when she adopted her. “We thought about changing the name,” says Quinn. “But she gives classic Liza Minnelli energy.”
Hey, life is an atelier!
Liza’s Lace Atelier, 85 Beckwith Ave., Southold, 631-487-2283, Instagram: @Lizas.lace, Lizaslace.com
