Description
The hip men’s biker clothing store Smith + Butler, located aptly at the corner of Smith and Butler Streets in Carroll Gardens, is owned by stylish former model Marylynn Piotrowski, who cultivates a hard, industrial, masculine vibe. The sartorial equivalent of Brooklyn Larder, the shop stocks rugged but delicious clothing from local designers, durable and fitted, but with an edge. Think denim and wool and leather, vintage motorcycles and pedal bikes, rustic outerwear at decidedly un-rustic prices. Despite the male emphasis of her store, Piotrowski also caters to female shoppers with delicate jewelry and the occasional skirt or nostalgic t shirt. Designed to evoke “old-world Brooklyn and...the nomadic biker lifestyle,” as the shop’s website puts it, Smith + Butler also offers the means to furnish that stylish life, stocking everything from bike lights to scented candles to porcelain coyote skulls. The extremely attractive and trendy staff might appear slightly distant, but they’re genuinely interested in aesthetics, and an earnest question will prompt some earnest help, and probably some very sturdy plaid. --Diana Clarke
