Travel & Guides

Originally opened in the spring of 1999 on 7th Avenue in Brooklyn, Bird has slowly expanded and evolved into a neighborhood shop with a staunch community of devotees. With a second location recently opened on Smith Street, the store has been a cornerstone in the area's development into a new, edgier identity. Owner Jennifer Mankins acquired Bird from her two friends in 2004 and "hit the ground running," attempting to manage the store while designing her own clothing line. But she quickly discovered she couldn't do both. Temporarily shelving her passion for design, Mankins focused her energy on the shop, using her buyer background to add new labels and shift the fashion focus on to more international buys.

Mankins wanted the space to "reflect and contribute to the communities they're in." And she's accomplished this--and more--by sticking close to the historical roots of the area and introducing a bit of a modern twist. After nine months of renovations, the new store has a light, breezy feel with cool mint-green walls juxtaposed against rustic sections of bare brick. The tiny dressing rooms are covered with vintage wallpaper from the 1930s and draped with sweeping curtains from the Swedish textile designer Josef Frank. Mankins does all the buying for the store and is partial to Japanese and Parisian designers, especially Isabel Marant and Tsumori Chisato.

She carries clothing staples as well, including 3.1 Philip Lim, Antik Batik, and Mayle, in addition to a solid collection of denim by Earnest Sewn and J-Brand. The accessories rival any clothing the shop can offer, with jewelry by Danielle Pittman that is inspired by nature and cast in 14- and 18-karat gold as well as eclectic pieces by one of our favorites jewelry designers, Philip Crangi. With a selection of shoes and bags to pair with any look (we love the new Gryson bag line out this fall, designed by the creator of the Marc Jacobs's Stella bag), the icing on the cake is Mankin's hand picked scarf collection; a colorful display of baby-soft linens and wools woven to ensure extra warmth minus the bulk.