Jen Mankins photographed by Michael Nagle for The New York Times at our Williamsburg store | "The Curator of the 'Brooklyn Look'" - December 16, 2012
January 7, 2021
After 21 amazing years of business in Brooklyn, much thought and consideration and really, really trying to make it work, I have decided to close Bird and will be doing so by the end of the month.
I have been beyond lucky to work with the very best of the best in fashion and am awed by the hundreds of incredible employees that have called Bird home. But it is you, the customers, thousands of the chicest, smartest, nicest people anyone could ever dream of, that I will miss the most. Y'all know that I would seriously try and stay in business forever to keep working with you. I have loved every minute of it. And while it is personally heartbreaking for me to say goodbye to this chapter, I can move forward knowing that we made the most out of every day we had. None of any of it would have been possible without the support of every single person that walked through our doors.
As with so many of our friends and neighbors, the ongoing pandemic has proven too much to bear on top of an already challenged, rapidly changing industry, and world. I am so grateful we were able to build our business during the height of independent fashion, when curating my stores was an exciting means of storytelling, a way to showcase designers from all over the globe, that otherwise would not have had a voice or presence. I am moved by all of you that have always supported us and rallied behind us, and this year in particular, to help us stay in business as long as we have.
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![Bird store exterior in Fort Greene, Brooklyn](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61d8588df6629d338346b9bd/28cab2fb-33ed-4f98-b819-e346146c74ec/_DSC4100-HDR_Final.jpg)
![Bird store interior in Park Slope, Brooklyn](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61d8588df6629d338346b9bd/5807875a-c91e-4185-94e9-dd14c8d1e8eb/_J1A0571.jpg)
![Bird store exterior in Culver City, California](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61d8588df6629d338346b9bd/0476c947-84b0-4050-8c51-aacd1807586f/EXT+-+1.jpg)
![Bird store interior in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61d8588df6629d338346b9bd/944d0d4e-c71f-4e37-beec-f595c776d3e9/_J1A0771.jpg)
![Jen Mankins photographed inside the Bird store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61d8588df6629d338346b9bd/0060f997-152a-4710-aa94-66dbc063563a/Jen-Mankins.jpg)
![Store interior of Bird in Williamsburg, Brooklyn](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61d8588df6629d338346b9bd/d01adeb9-deb4-4a49-83cf-3fe80535a71f/_J1A0878.jpg)
We originally opened in Park Slope in 1999, introducing many established and emerging designers to Brooklyn for the first time.
Our Cobble Hill location opened in 2006, anchoring the Smith Street retail community and providing a unique and intimate shopping experience for countless local customers.
We opened our doors in Williamsburg in 2009, proudly becoming the first retailer in NYC to be awarded a Silver LEED certification for our sustainable renovation. The expanded footprint allowed us to grow and experiment in menswear, art, home goods, designer collections and meet many more Brooklynites and visitors to NYC.
This Sunday will be the last day to shop in person in Cobble Hill and after that we will consolidate our operations to Williamsburg for our remaining weeks. We would love to welcome each and every one of you in the shops, but because of the ongoing and worsening reality of the pandemic, we urge you to shop with us online. Please enjoy an additional 15% off all of your final purchases. For obvious reasons, all sales will be final.
Pausing what Bird has been for so long is not a decision I made easily nor one that I take lightly. I hope to be able to use this break to reimagine what meaningful role fashion and retail can have in today's world. I have not stopped believing in the power and importance of expressing oneself through the act of getting dressed, and I hope to see you on the other side of this with a new vision for Bird.
With all my love and gratitude.