Until recently, there was a longstanding belief that Brooklyn is the last frontier of New York City. Only 20 years ago, Miranda from “Sex and the City” said, “Even cabs won’t go there.” Now, Brooklyn is the cultural epicenter of the city, which is especially clear when visiting Haricot Vert, a jewelry store in Williamsburg that encapsulates the epitome of the trendsetting, chic Brooklynite. 

“I used to think Williamsburg was a little bit overdone, but I’ve developed a newfound love for it over the past year” said Kelsey Armstrong, Haricot Vert founder. “There’s something a little bit edgy about Brooklyn, and I feel like, as a brand, we’re a little bit gritty. There’s something creative about Brooklyn that just felt right for us.” 

Williamsburg is the center of rapid gentrification and commodification, adding nearly 18,000 new housing units between 2010 and 2020 and becoming the tenth largest neighborhood in the city, according to the New York University Furman Center. Its sudden hotspot status isn’t all bad news for Brooklynites. The neighborhood is a quirky amalgamation of artists, finance bros, fashion die-hards, tourists and community organizations like the North Brooklyn Parks Alliance and the North Brooklyn Angels. Residents range from podcasters and influencers to non-profit leaders and activists. 

“Williamsburg is the ‘Bedford Soho’ — that’s what most Williamsburg people call it. I lived here for over four years, and when I started here, it was the middle of Covid. Everything was closing. Small businesses have never been struggling more than in that moment. Williamsburg is now The Place,” said Mackenzie Talbot, a Williamsburg resident and loyal Haricot Vert patron. “When I tell people I live in Williamsburg, it’s like, ‘Oh my god, that’s so cool.’ This is a huge community for me, because you’ve got the Chanel and the Hermes, but that doesn’t make Williamsburg ‘Williamsburg.’ Haricot Vert makes Williamsburg. The cute coffee shops make Williamsburg. The local vintage shops make Williamsburg. This is adding to that community.”

SoHo, a center of fashion and commerce for several decades, used to be the place for brands to base their pop-up events, flagships and marketing campaigns, but luxury brands are swiftly gravitating towards Brooklyn now. 

A year ago, Chanel hosted a diner-themed pop-up on Wythe Avenue. In 2021, Bottega Veneta opened a temporary concept store on Grand Street. Brands like Reformation, Diptyque and Ganni have storefronts in Williamsburg. Independent brands and local businesses bookend the goliaths surrounding them because, at the end of the day, it’s still Brooklyn, regardless of how many cement-gray developments and office buildings crop up. Major retailers have to find an extra-niche hook to draw in a crowd when competing with Brooklyn-born brands like Haricot Vert. 

“I’m a Greenpointer. I didn’t think that Williamsburg was gonna be the place for this store,” said the brand’s founder, Kelsey Armstrong. “I wanted to be somewhere that’s accessible to many different types of people and tourists. We did a pop up in SoHo last year, and I thought maybe we’ll do something in Manhattan. But to be quite frank, it was very out of budget for us. When I found this place, there was a very big deal on it, so I took a chance on it, because as soon as I came in, I was like, ‘The craft workshops are gonna be back here, upstairs is going to be our offices.’ It’s all-in-one basically; we’re able to manufacture, have an office and a retail space in one storefront, which is something that doesn’t really exist out there.”

Williamsburg is the grown-up version of SoHo, where brands need a generous dose of ethics and storytelling behind their products, making Haricot Vert the perfect example of an innovative Brooklyn business. The brand is inspired by the traditional art forms of charm jewelry and collage, which Armstrong merged to create Haricot Vert’s trademark picto-charms. Initially, Armstrong sold jewelry she designed from social media and a website. The brand had a few viral moments, with celebrities like Emma Roberts, Kourtney Kardashian and Gigi Hadid wearing the jewelry.

“In a world that’s very sometimes gray with all the things that go on in this crazy planet of ours, I want to give people these little moments of joy. I didn’t know how to do that, but I just started experimenting. Over time, I came up with the picto-charm,” said Armstrong.

Now a full-fledged business based on a North First Street storefront, Haricot Vert represents the future of successful New York brands. The jewelry shop sticks to ethical standards concerning sustainability and artistry. It aims to capture nostalgia, special moments and feelings. 

Since opening its brick-and-mortar in Williamsburg, Haricot Vert offers custom Picto-Charms where customers can send a photo to be printed as a charm. Pets, initials of a loved one, and photos of sentimental objects can be memorialized on a necklace, bracelet, keychain or earrings.  

Haricot Vert’s unique ability to combine classic traditions with modern trends represent the specific qualities needed to succeed in Williamsburg. The neighborhood is not the new SoHo; it’s a whole new animal. 

“Everybody wants that one thing that nobody has. With the oversaturation of thrifting and vintage, nothing’s truly one of a kind anymore, until you come here and you can quite literally make anything that you want,” said Talbot. “I came here on my birthday and made one of the purses, and it was the time of my life. My mom was here, and she got some of the charms. I look back on it, and it’s a memory because you pick everything out. You’re not online being like, ‘I want this, this, this, and I’ll see in a couple weeks.’ You’re here, and everyone in this brand is so connected, and they care so much about everything that they do.”

On Friday, Sept. 13, Haricot Vert launched a turn-of-the-century, nostalgia-fueled collection with a “Teenage Bedroom” party. In the past year, social media users have reignited a passion for what they call “Y2K” fashion, capturing late 90s and early 00s style. Italian charm bracelets recently made a comeback, which no doubt broadened Haricot Vert’s reach, as Gen Zers and millennials long for Juicy Couture jumpsuits, slip dresses and charms. 

“We were in the right place at the right time with the charm trend. I never thought that that was going to be a trend, and we were coming up at the same time that that trend happened,” Armstrong said. “Also, food jewelry became very trendy, like sardines and tomatoes and all that. We were at the right place at the right time for two trends. I love the idea of keeping these little mementos that tell the story of you that you can wear. It’s so beautiful. Everybody who works here loves crafts and jewelry, and some of my employees will come in, and they’ll wear a piece of jewelry that was their mother’s, and it looks cool. It looks like something that I would wear now. This is a kind of new trend, but it has been going on forever. People like these like miniature keepsakes.”

The latest collection features references to Lizzie McGuire, Britney Spears, Furbies and more. Pastel colors, funky textures and animal prints adorned the party, with attendees dressing in glitter, bows, boots and lace. The crowd represented a growing demographic of Brooklynites seeking unique ways to express themselves.

“I love seeing all the art, but I’m also really excited for the underwear with the charms,” said Carly, executive director of Funny Face Bakery and maximalist artist who has lived in Bushwick for six years. “I feel like Williamsburg has so much of my favorite fun stuff going on, and a lot of spaces like this that feel fun, creative and fresh.” 

The launch was sponsored by underwear brand Parade, Milk Bar, Smarties, Madre Mezcal, Recess and more, and Haricot Vert gave out personalized Parade underwear with unique Haricot Vert charms, smarties, keychains, pens, stickers and tooth gems. A Williamsburg tattoo artist did flash tattoos inspired by Haricot Vert’s charms, and a craft table was open to attendees with magazines, stickers and craft supplies. 

“This collection happened at a perfect time,” said Sierra, whose bedroom inspired the photoshoot. “It’s definitely giving inner-child, teenage girl. All of the picto-charms are novelties and memorabilia and nostalgia.”

With Brooklyn as its launchpad, Armstrong says Haricot Vert’s “story has not yet been told.” The founder anticipates taking the brand worldwide.

“Everybody wants us to go to LA, so I don’t know if that’s going to be a pop-up or a storefront. Everybody wants us to go to Paris. I’m really thinking that next year is going to be our world tour,” said Armstrong. “I’m thinking about doing weird, quirky things, like I want to open up a weird, conceptual furniture store. I don’t know!” 

Haricot Vert describes its storefront as a “dreamworld,” with a cafe, craft events and make-your-own jewelry. With a plethora of opportunities ahead, Haricot Vert is at the convergence of a Brooklyn business boom, Gen Z fashion and New York’s penchant for campy, quirky event spaces. Its success exhibits Williamsburg’s evolution and the cultural shift to Brooklyn for art, recreation and commerce.