If permanent jewelry à la Catbird isn’t your vibe, how about giving wearable poetry a try? Over the weekend, Haricot Vert — an internet-beloved, DIY-inspired mixed-media jewelry brand — opened a brick and mortar location at 119 N 1st St.
Once past the shop’s tucked-away location and minimalist exterior, visitors are transported to what the brand calls Dreamworld, a three-story sanctuary of customizable jewelry, collage-inspired craft supplies, freewheeling creative inspiration, a cafe, hands-on workshops, and, of course, the brand’s signature Picto-Charms. Picto-Charms refer to unique photographs — often vintage sourced, fashion inspired, or just generally reflecting the zeitgeist (i.e. a bag of Takis) — turned into wearable, non-toxic charms.
The star of the show is the personalized charm bar, where customers can pick their own Picto-Charms, crystals, pearls, and other odds and ends to be transformed into highly custom wearable art (hair clips, handbags, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, or keychains) by Haricot Vert’s on-site experts and jewelry makers.
And the in-store experience reflects the work of Haricot Vert’s founder and owner Kelsey Armstrong, who started the business as a highly hands-on one-woman show out of her apartment in Queens prior to moving to Greenpoint, operating from a studio at 193 Newel Street as she prepped for the brand’s big move. Haricot Vert is craft-inspired and scrappy in a thoughtful way, down to Armstrong’s creative processes and the care put into sustainability and quality materials — the jewelry is made with demi-fine hypoallergenic materials and often features deadstock, antique, and found components, plus they operate on a made-to-order production cycle to reduce waste.
The brand is also no stranger to Brooklyn- and NYC-based collabs, and has worked with Big Night (154 Franklin St.), Phthalo Ruth, and the Museum of Modern Art, so there are likely to be even more on the way.
Haricot Vert is open Wednesday through Friday from 12 to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. In-person craft workshops like jewelry making, collaging, and journal decorating begin in May, and advance tickets are available here.