KEEPING IT LOCAL: The store sells clothes and home goods from local
designers. Photo by Natallie Rocha
Business
COURIER L M BR B G IFE, MARCH 8–14, 2019 39
BY NATALLIE ROCHA
Call her a Jill of all trades.
A Fort Greene resident is
about as multifaceted as her
eponymous store, a hybrid department
store, coffee shop,
and event space that serves as
a hangout spot for locals.
Jill Lindsey, who lives
three blocks away from her
Myrtle Avenue shop, said she
felt like she needed a calm
gathering space in her neck
of the woods, and the boutique
was her answer.
“The difference between
what we do here and what
other stores are doing is that
we invest in people,” Lindsey
said. “We really bridge a relationship
with them and we
do it because we are excited to
give this to our own community.”
Back in 2014, when Lindsey
told her dad she wanted to
open up a “concept boutique,”
she remembers him saying:
“Are you sure you want to
open up fi ve businesses in one
shop on a road that used to be
called ‘Murder Ave.?’ Well, if
anyone can do that, it’s you.”
At the unassuming storefront
between Adelphi Street
and Clermont Avenue, Lindsey
serves up coffee, wine,
clothes, educational events,
and ultimately strives to “keep
it local” by selling items made
by neighborhood artists, such
as Colin Kerr.
“I would say that this place
is so uniquely Brooklyn,” said
Kerr, who has lived in New
York since the ’80s. “Just like
this store, in Brooklyn, you
can do tons of different things,
and artistic things seem to
thrive here unlike anywhere
else.”
When you step in the door,
the mixed scents of incense
and earthy candles envelop
you like a warm hug — something
that Lindsey often gives
to loyal patrons when they
stop by the shop.
The emporium also hosts
monthly kids’ sing alongs,
wellness workshops on selflove,
beauty services, and a
backyard garden. Lindsey
originally scheduled these
hands-on events as a business
strategy for bringing people in
the door, and to pitch her mission.
“We don’t just want to sell a
bunch of stuff,” she said. “We
want to sell a limited amount
of stuff that means something
special.”
The Kansas-born entrepreneur
cut her teeth working in
the fashion industry, and said
that being a small-business
owner isn’t glamorous, but
she is glad she can be a place
that believes in local entrepreneurs,
such as Fort Greene
hair stylist Drew Irmen.
“It’s always been a homebase
for me outside my small
apartment,” Irmen said. “I just
refer to Jill as a friend and it’s
funny because it’s not like we
hang out, outside of the shop.”
Lindsey dreams of expanding
the Jill Lindsey brand and
boutiques — an attempt to expand
to Tribeca in 2018 fell
through — and she attributes
the defi ning quality of her
business to be the community
experience within her fl agship
Myrtle Avenue shop.
“I don’t do this to make
money, it’s more so to challenge
the way people live,”
Lindsey said. “It’s a gift to be
able to make people feel so special
and to be able to give them
a place like this — that gives
me gratitude everyday.”
Jill Lindsey (370 Myrtle
Ave. between Adelphi Street
and Clermont Avenue in Fort
Greene, www.jilllindsey.com).
Something for everyone
Fort Greene boutique, event space, spotlights local artists
/www.jilllindsey.com
/www.jilllindsey.com)