Photograph courtesy of Mashburn
Do you take your coffee with a dash of Mashburn? This week, Atlanta’s famed designer-retailers Sid and Ann Mashburn opened the doors to their latest concept at Westside Provisions District: an expansion that includes a coffee bar, their new kids line, and a smattering of books, home decor, music, and more. It’s the brand’s foray into full lifestyle territory, giving shoppers a deeper glimpse into the covetable world of Sid and Ann, whose offerings go far beyond suits and skirts. Here, they’re selling the way they live—with goods ranging from loose tea and dishes to pillows and rugs. “We’ve always thought of ourselves as a lifestyle brand,” says Ann. “And a majority of the stuff that’s in here has existed in a small way in the other stores. But you can’t concentrate on it in there. It needed its own space.” The shop, with its pint-sized Liberty-print dresses and cookbooks and candles, feels like Ann’s domain, and indeed it is connected to her store by double doors. She gave us a tour.
First: There’s the matter of the name. With the new gleaming brass marquee stretching across the whitewashed facade of the main entries to the trio of shops (Ann Mashburn’s womenswear, Sid Mashburn’s menswear, and the new lifestyle shop), it’s clear: The brand, which has been lauded by the likes of Esquire and GQ and counts five shops across the country, will collectively be known as simply Mashburn.
Photograph courtesy of Mashburn
Next, there’s the coffee bar. Here you can pull up an acrylic stool to a marble bar and meet Andrew Beaton, the clean-coiffed, British-accented, bespectacled, on-brand barista, an alum of Chrome Yellow Trading Co. (Yes, he’s wearing a tie.) Find him pulling espresso from Methodical (out of Greenville, South Carolina), and pouring drip coffee from King State (based in Tampa, Florida). Ann has unofficially dubbed the mini café “Your Needs Met” after a one-time underground club opened by her late brother—look for the logo on the bottom of your paper cup, plus T-shirts and other goods. Also find tea from Paris-based Kusmi, and bread and pastries delivered daily from H&F Bread Co. Bistro tables are scattered throughout the shop, and cherry red Parisian garden tables and chairs line the sidewalk.
“We’ve always liked the idea of having a restaurant and a gathering place,” says Ann. “We came [to Westside Provisions District] because of the food and the adjacencies and how cool it felt here. And part of that is being able to sit down and hang. When Star Provisions left, a lot of that ‘hang’ feature left. We want to bring the party back. Plus we all missed our baguettes!”
The store will open at 7 a.m., in line with other nearby coffee shops, and lingering is encouraged. “Ultimately we’d love to see where it goes. We’d love to get a liquor license and do a little aperitivo in the early evening.”
Photograph courtesy of Mashburn
Photograph courtesy of Mashburn
Photograph courtesy of Mashburn
The new goods and the vibe of the space—with white walls, colorful kilim rugs, a whimsical Calder-esque mobile found at Scott Antique Markets—feel like an extension of their existing stores and were inspired in part by French children’s boutiques like Bonpoint, intimate inns like Maidstone Hotel in the Hamptons, and home store-meets-restaurant ABC Carpet in New York. Mashburn is known as a family business and for now, the couple’s middle daughter, Daisy, who just graduated from the University of Virginia, will run the store.
The opening also marks the launch of the Mashburns’ new kids line, called, appropriately, Kid Mashburn. Imagine the adult lines shrunken down, using the same oxfords and cashmeres, in tiny knit hoodies and bloomers sizes two through eight. “I’ve always made my kids’ clothes,” says Ann, who has five daughters. “So it was just something we always thought we’d do.” There are also mini Blundstone boots, jackets by a French-Vietnamese label, and even tiny Stan Smiths.
Photograph courtesy of Mashburn
Photograph courtesy of Mashburn
Photograph courtesy of Mashburn
The home goods—mostly candles and throw pillows and small goods—also evolved from the things Ann has long loved to do. She’s made her own dressing room curtains, for example, and upholstered pieces in Sid’s store with menswear fabric. Maybe that’s why they look so familiar; now, shoppers can take a piece of that look into their own homes.
“The idea of this place is really just more room to showcase what we love,” she says. “I’m not somebody who’s ever going to make my own coffee, but that I can share. I’m not necessarily a designer of the home, but I can share things from my point of view that I would want to put in my home.”
Photograph courtesy of Mashburn
Photograph courtesy of Mashburn
Photograph courtesy of Mashburn
There is plenty for Sid’s customer too. Pocketknives, glasses, and leather goods line glass cases alongside new office goods like pencil holders and mouse pads. Some of those items were once housed in the vestibule of Sid’s shop, which will convert into a dedicated department for denim and tees.
Books and music are a big part of the Mashburn story. Sid is known for his vinyl collection and even has his own radio show, WSID, where he spins for AM 1690 every week. The new shop offers Sid-approved audio equipment, an expanded vinyl collection, and coffee-table books from Phaidon and Rizzoli (novels to come). “I think books are a way of sharing something personal,” says Ann. “It’s not like a commitment of a piece of clothing. The first gift I gave to Sid was a book, and it’s my go-to way of telling somebody who I am. It’s, I liked this—you might like it too.”
Photograph courtesy of Mashburn
Photograph courtesy of Mashburn
Photograph courtesy of Mashburn
Photograph courtesy of Mashburn
She continues: “Not everyone might like my clothing style. But it’s a beautiful space, and I think everyone can enjoy a cup of coffee.”
