Upstate Stock, a clothing and accessories store, opened a large flagship store on March 12th at 2 Berry Street, next to Berry Park. The store includes a coffeeshop and plentiful seating space, with laptops allowed, according to owner Bram Robinson.
As of yesterday, Upstate Stock has added a slew of new products.
Photos of the beautiful industrial space Robinson worked so hard on, after the jump.
We chatted with Bram about what he hopes to do with the new store and café, which looks to be the perfect daytime coffee-drinking and laptop-loafing spot and nighttime event space.
Greenpointers: How did you find the space? How long have you been working on preparing it? How did you choose the décor, and did you make the furniture?
Bram Robinson: I had been looking a space for almost a year and when my good friend opened up The Pitch, the indoor soccer field next door, he told me about this amazing, but very raw, space that had been empty and never put on the market.
Once I saw it, I could immediately visualize the entire space, which had never happened in the 50-plus spaces I had seen over the last year. We are very lucky to have this space and to start with a blank slate. The renovation almost killed myself, my father, and my friend who built it, but it was worth it.
GP: What are your trademark clothing items?
Bram: The knits for sure. Our beanies and Deerskin gloves are very popular. We are currently sold in 225 stores worldwide and 90 percent of that is made up of knits, but we obviously only sell to these stores during the winter months, which is why we needed a retail store for year-round sales.
GP: It’s part of your credo — why it important to you that products are made locally?
Bram: Apart from many of the brands being dear friends we travel the world with, doing tradeshows and selling our product together, there is also the fact that what is made in North America has a level of quality that is not matched anywhere around the world.
Every one of our product lines is made in New York state. The gloves are knit upstate and finished in our factory in Ridgewood and all the apothecary are made here in Brooklyn.
GP: There seem to be more men’s products than women’s. Is the store meant to cater more to men, or is that because of a unisex style?
Bram: Upstate Stock is unisex, but the majority of our business is geared towards men’s so the apparel and some of the lifestyle goods are for men. We are adding more and more for women every week.
GP: There’s a large selection of really beautifully-scented candles — where are those made?
Bram: We make those in our factory in Bushwick. The candles have been incredibly popular since we opened. They are non-GMO coconut oil wax candles with hemp wicks in 40 percent recycled glass containers. We make them in our shared factory in Ridgewood ourselves and we wholesale them to stores across the US.
GP: Any upcoming clothing collabs or plans?
Bram: We have worked with a number of brands on colabs, such as Manready Mercantile in Houston and Klaxon Howl in Canada — both brands we carry — and we have a lot more in the works, but they are currently under wraps until they’re released.
GP: What’s the food and coffee situation developing? Do you have big plans for food additions? What’s currently available?
Bram: We do! The original idea was to have a full cafe, but as I was doing the renovations I could not source and prepare a kitchen, so as of now we carry Roberta’s Bakery and Ovenly. We are also getting amazing pastries made ourselves with a baker.
GP: What kind of beans are you using?
Bram: We are using The Cut Coffee, and we are the only ones in the USA using them.
Greenpointers, stop by the spot on your way to the park and say hello to Bram when you get a chance, to give his place some good luck and a warm welcome from the neighborhood.
Upstate Stock, 2 Berry Street at North 14th