Dropping In On... Smith & Butler
Smith & Butler—probably the only store in Brooklyn you can walk out of with a handmade Billykirk belt, a locally-crafted Hill-Side tie, and a vintage Moto Guzzi motorcycle—opened almost a year ago on Smith Street. The brainchild of screenwriter/producer Jay Alaimo and Marylynn Piotrowski, a former model who also runs the Montauk surf store Tauk, the shop was founded with a particular kind of guy in mind—one who's into amping up can't-go-wrong American staples with a shot of rebellious attitude (think James Dean, or Marlon Brando in The Wild One).
"I was obsessed with some motorcycle stores I saw in other parts of the country or the world," Alaimo says. "There wasn't anything like it here—places you can pick up helmets or goggles and gloves for riding, maybe a vintage motorcycle, but also some well-built, classic American clothes. And for anyone who thinks the bikes are just some sort of rugged window-dressing—well, we sold three just last week."
Still, it was Smith & Butler's sharp eye for workwear that caught the eye of GQ creative director Jim Moore on a recent visit. "There are some stores I instantly love, and others where I just walk in and pretend that I'm looking at something and walk out," he confesses. "This one was an instant, magnetic attraction—the place is so original and has such good mojo, and there are a few labels they carry that I'd never heard of before—great workwear from Pointer and Key Industries and Post-All." (Smith & Butler is one of two stores in N.Y.C.—Barneys being the other—who carries the Japanese-made Post-All line.) "There's a great tweedy-but-salty vibe that makes hunting for stuff there thrilling."
Everything here's for sale, including the weathered furniture Piotrowski picks up on her frequent antique excursions; the racks of vintage flannel, denim, and military surplus gear; and the rotating gallery of art and motorcycle design. Now showing: Dustin Humphries's photos from a long bike trip through Australia, as well as a custom-built Deus W650 Street Tracker that sits on the main floor next to piles of Levi's, racks of Barbour and Belstaff motorcycle jackets, Fulmer helmets, Wolverine boots, and Filson bags.
Find your way into the store's back room, and you'll find the Brooklyn outpost of Nolita men's staple Unis, stocked with that label's slimmed-down khakis, peacoats, and work shirts. "It just felt right," says Unis owner/designer Eunice Lee. "When I had fantasized about a second Unis store, it seemed more obvious to go into the West Village or uptown in Manhattan, but the dream was always Brooklyn. I seemed like the Brooklyn guy would appreciate Unis—and vice-versa."
In addition to a sharp cadre of Brooklyn guys, Smith & Butler also attracts the occasional biker hip to its well-sourced stocks of motorcycles and gear. "I'm more of a GTO guy myself," laughs Jim Moore. "But the bikes certainly look good in there. If Keith McNally was a shop owner instead of a restaurateur, he'd design a store like this."
Smith & Butler, 225 Smith Street, Brooklyn, NY; 718-855-4295; smithbutler.com
