Local fashion designer Abbey Glass opens her first boutique

The ultra-fresh womenswear shop joins several new stores at Ponce City Market
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Photograph by Wedig and Laxton

Two years into its life, mixed-use mecca Ponce City Market continues to flourish. A second Central Hall staircase is coming soon, and the development is touting several new shops (Rudy’s Barbershop is open now, South Moon Under debuts April 6 and the MAC Pro store arrives April 21). But what we’re most amped about is local fashion designer Abbey Glass’s first ready-to-wear retail boutique, which celebrates its grand opening tomorrow in a sunny second-floor space next to Cobbler Union.

Glass’s eponymous contemporary label is one of Atlanta’s chicest local labels, influenced by “clean lines, art, architecture, and retro influences” (including Audrey Hepburn, Jackie O., and Grace Kelly, who inspired the spring/summer collection). Glass’s wares are carried in dozens of high-end boutiques across the South, but for a more personal, branded experience, she’d been welcoming customers to her studio and showroom on Miami Circle. Until now.

A spring look from Abbey Glass

Photograph by Wedig and Laxton

With patinated walls weathered by the decades and two well-appointed fitting rooms designed for hanging out, the ethereal boutique represents the realization of a long-held dream for the 27-year-old fashion forerunner.

“We had been thinking about ways to become more visible in Atlanta, just because our studio is so remote and private,” she says. “We wanted to conquer our hometown, but realized we didn’t want to go after them online. We needed to be in a high-traffic shopping area where people go to find cool new things. It hit me that our exact customer is here, at Ponce City Market.”

Glass, an Atlanta native, knows the territory well. “I grew up in Ansley [Park] and I went to Paideia. This is my ’hood. This is the Whole Foods I went to. I used to go see movies at Midtown 8,” she explains, gesturing to the shopping center across the way. “This area has just changed so much, and it’s a cool thing to be able to revisit it as an adult and to actually have a business here.”

Abbey Glass at work in her studio.

Photograph courtesy Abbey Glass

Prices in the latest lineup range from $165 to $495, and the homage to the late princess of Monaco is evident in pieces like the silk georgette Tulla tunic and coordinating Carter trouser that invoke a sense of glamour and sophistication.

Our other favorites include the clipped-dot poplin Josephine blouse with breezy slashed sleeves (for coverage that’s still cool), skinny “umbrella-stripe” jacquard dresses and the “secret garden” floral print that graces trousers, sheaths, and midi skirts—plus accessories from the likes of local resort-ready Mickey Lynn Jewelry and KZ Noel.

Clients seeking something more custom than off-the-rack offerings (bridal is still big business for the designer) can still find Glass at her Miami Circle office, showroom, and atelier.

The grand opening of the new boutique is March 18 from 6 to 9 p.m. on the second floor of Ponce City Market.

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