Vintage, antique, and contemporary pieces sold beside a textile studio and shop — what more could an aesthete ask for?
Stephanie Pinerio’s The Bellwether (53800 Main Road, Southold, 917-517-5653) has taken on new form, now sharing a building with Laura O’Brien’s Fez & Ivy (53800 Main Road, Southold, 631-407-5600).
The split space spurred from a casual conversation between Pinerio and O’Brien last year and came to fruition on July 1.
“I feel like the two brands really complement each other,” says Pinerio, “because she has all the textiles and the rugs and the vintage and the antiques and I have the textiles and the hand-woven things that I feel are very home decor and textile-forward.”
Pinerio, who previously sold her handmade pieces out of the North Fork Apothecary in Cutchogue, was looking for a space to expand into and O’Brien had just that to offer — half of her side-by-side storefront. Expect some crossover, because the brands have products from each store scattered around.
“Our inventory is seamlessly mixed to create an all-new shopping experience in the space and the customers love to see her weaving,” says O’Brien. “I only wish that we had done this sooner.”
Before Pinerio started The Bellwether out of her overarching company Shed Textile Co., Pinerio was a Manhattan-based advertising creative director. She studied surface/textile design at SUNY Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan where she discovered her love for textile in a weaving class.
At one point, she was making wallpaper for Elizabeth Dow, an East Hampton-based designer and was encouraged to start her own business.
Shed Textile Co. came to be in 2018 when Pinerio started selling wholesale to designers out of her North Fork home. “I realized that being in the wholesale business — because I was doing every aspect of it including making the product — I was never going to get ahead,” says Pinerio.
The idea for a brick-and-mortar retail space was primarily to support the wholesale business, but Pinerio has come to love it while continuing with wholesale.
In the new store, Pinerio sells knitwear, crocheted products, embroidered products, peel and stick wallpaper and her own hand-woven pillows, among many other attractive items.
She and local artist Elizabeth Talerman collaborated to create some unique pieces. Pinerio found 1960s issues of Suffolk Life newspaper at a tag sale and Talerman embroidered ads from the publication onto vintage textiles that she found locally.
Pinerio is also excited to be selling Sabah products, including the brand’s shoes, Turkish towels and signature candles.
“What resonates with me is the craftsmanship,” says Pinerio.
In the back of the Bellwether which is currently stocked with rugs, Pinerio plans to have a gallery wall and small event area in the store, where she can welcome the community in.
“I love Southold,” says Pinerio. “I’ve been here for 10 years and within those 10 years, Southold has come a long way as far as walkability and retail stores. I’m really excited to be adding to that.”
