ABOUT US
The idea of Houndstooth arose while Maria was working at Poppet, turning away guy after guy looking for the same high-quality vintage clothes that the women's only store was known for. That was March 2006. By April, she and Michael had found the perfect spot to set up shop, and in August, Houndstooth opened on Driggs Ave in the heart of Williamsburg, a neighborhood which boasts more artists per square foot than anywhere else in the world. Sandwiched between two well known galleries, the store and its owners remain involved in the art world they came out of.
From warehouses and estate sales all across the country, from the Southwest to New England, Michael and Maria gather the best of the past — incredible design pieces, shirts, pants, and suits made from all natural fibers, regional oddities and seasonal treasures. Houndstooth accessories have included such amazing finds as an antique South American cocaine spoon, a vintage gun holster, and even an early 20th century peruvian rug. Every week something new and exciting is on display in our familiar streetside trunk.
OUR STORIES
• Michael Kimmins
Michael earned his B.A. in English & Classics from Rice University. Afterwards, he was an integral part of Brazos Bookstore, a nationally acclaimed institution, and it's sister space, Brazos Projects, which hosted museum-quality exhibitions of modern and traditional art and design from all over the world. While working at Brazos, Michael also worked as a grant-writer for the non-profit Pauline Oliveros Foundation Houston, the city's main current of avant-garde music.
• Maria ChavezBorn in Peru and raised in Texas, Maria Chavez is a well known avant turntablist who performs all over the world. She was recently selected to participate in a 2008 artist-in-residency program with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company at the Dia Foundation's museum in Beacon, New York, and will perform with Otomo Yoshihide in Vienna this November as part of the Wien Modern Festival. To fund her dream, she and Michael created Houndstooth out of their shared passion for vintage and fashion.