step into rubee's closet on 720 monroe street in hoboken & you will find many treasures... including its owner beverly alonzo, the creative force behind rubee's closet (lovingly named for her grandmother). the store is ultra comfortable, airy and calm. there's no pressure to buy unlike other boutiques i've encountered. try on some items -- the dressing rooms are cozy with furry, shag-type throw rugs. you won't find your typical trendy, overpriced designers here... rubee's carries independent and reasonably priced labels. s
he also has a select choice of jewelry, handbags, sunglasses and other beauty items.i spoke with beverly aka rubee (at right, you can call her either name) and she shared her story with me... she's a risk taker with a fiercely independent streak. just what hoboken needs to nurture, especially in this newly developed part of town (where condos continue to take over, let's hope this neighborhood keeps its character).
cashing in her IRA with almost no business experience, she wrote a plan and launched rubee's closet with a love of fashion, style and creativity. beverly created her own line of tie-dyed tee-shirts in high school and sold them to friends. she grew up with a love for hand sewing, often buying vintage pieces of clothes and sewing on details, fabrics and more to revive the item, creating something new. she later studied at the school of visual arts in the city and worked as a photographer.
in 2004, she starting selling clothes out of her apartment. then in may 04, she rented space upstairs in the monroe center with other artists... and finally, in april 2007, she moved into the current street level space.
check out my recent purchases... (you can shop online or go visit rubee's yourself, you won't be disappointed!)
a cool 2-layered design, long sleeved tee-shirt (on sale!) from drifter (which i wore for 3 days straight).
a skull necklace (at left) from colombian designer mercedes salazar (which i wore to a wedding & i think i got funny looks for it).
2 comments:
great stuff as usual. I am glad we are highlighting small businesses and people doing something creative with their store. Very subversive, although I wish it were mainstream.
I've shopped at Rubee's for clothes. And I love it. She has great sales and is super cool. Check it out -- support a great store with great management! Disclaimer: I live on Monroe Street, too.
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