The ShOptimist: Family Affair Variety Boutique

The holidays are here! And what better way to spend them than shopping?

Bed-Stuy Patch knows you're busy, so over the next few weeks, we will walk the neighborhood, visit some of our local small businesses and do the window shopping for you!

This week, we're featuring Family Fair Variety Boutique, located at 3 Kingston Avenue between Fulton and Herkimer streets.

Family Affair is a men and women’s accessory boutique that sells vintage and one-of-a-kind gift items. The store opened only four months ago and posted an announcement on BSP last week regarding its Pre-Holiday Sales event, offering deep discounts on gift items.

Family Fair Variety Boutique from the outside and inside looks not unlike many stores you see along Fulton Street in Bed-Stuy—packed full of so many different items that unless you’re looking for something specific, you might decide to not bother.

But here is why you should bother: There are locally-crafted, hand-made items – scarves, hats, gloves, purses – that without circumspection, would otherwise get lost in the sauce.

For the regular church-goers or suit-mongers, the store’s two-piece outfits are stylish, unique and inexpensive ($35 - $40). The upside is, there’s usually only 1 or 2 of each unique style available. Downside—the sizes tend to run small to medium.

Some perfect gift items include satin pajamas for $15, stylish watches for kids and adults for $20, winter scarves for $5 - $20, and cute furry legwarmers (perfect for teens) for $15-$25.

Best part about it all is that if you buy enough items, the store’s owners, Aaron Harding and Emannuel Hoskins, will negotiate a price you like: “We’re here to work for the community,” said Harding. “We’re just starting, so we really want to give people the deals.”

Purses, vintage dresses, mink fur coats, rare music, old Soul Train episodes on CD, if it sounds like a hodge-podge of stuff, that’s because it is. But that can be a good thing, because nothing is bought cheaply in bulk. And if you have a little time to shop, surely you’ll find something unique and special for either you or your loved one.

So during this holiday season, be a ShOptimist, stop through Family Affair Variety Boutique and support local Bed-Stuy businesses.