Open since June, Kate O’Riley’s store Line & Label, sandwiched between Fox and Fawn Vintage and Enid’s, is a welcome addition to the neighborhood.
The store’s light and airy (restrained bohemian) aesthetic is reflected in the lines O’Riley carries: Harvey Faircloth, an American brand that she prizes for their technical design, La Mont Saint Michel, which O’Riley decribes as easy sportswear, and Habitual, a denim line based out of L.A.
“I like the fit, I like that they’re from L.A. and I like that they’re little more rock and roll looking,” says Kate, of Habitual.
Jewelry from Kathryn Bentley and Serefina as well as candles from local chandlers, Violet and Lark , round out the store.
And of course, there’s the line that the store is named after, a collection of handbags and leather dream catchers designed by Kate herself.
Originally from Chicago and a New Yorker since 2000, O’Riley, like her store, has herself planted firmly in the neighborhood, just blocks away from her shop.
“I would have never thought I could have a store in this neighborhood and be a part of this community,” she says.
O’Riley, who went to the Art Institute of Chicago for Fashion, says that her interest in designing leather goods – bags to be specific – stems from her desire to create something sculptural that wasn’t size specific.
She got her start designing early, at the age of ten, when her Grandmother showed her how to use a pattern to make a pair of shorts and a drawstring bag. Fast forward to teenage Kate– “In high school I would go to the Salvation Army to buy clothes, take them home, take them apart, then put them back together.”
Happily for us, she is still taking things apart and putting them back together. Swing by Line & Label on 568 Manhattan Avenue to say hello.
Here are some of Kate’s neighborhood favorites:
Favorite neighborhood spot to eat: Manhattan Inn
Favorite neighborhood spot to shop: Future Perfect, Shoe Market, The One Well, and Chopin Chemists in Greenpoint.
Best coffee: Charlotte Patisserie.
What’s in your purse: Band-Aids and hand sanitizer – you gotta be prepared!
What won’t you leave home without: My sunglasses.
Miracle beauty/hair product: Bumble & Bumble Styling Lotion.
Most memorable New York moment: Nothing beats opening up a shop in the neighborhood I love – this is my best NY moment!