store openings

Dunlin Brings Handmade Leather Bags to Williamsburg

Brooklyn-based handbag designers Shiho Nagashima and Ramana Goldstein of Dunlin are fêting the opening of their first stand-alone retail space this Saturday with an open bar, live music, and leather bags galore. The 600-square-foot space functions as a joint workshop, office, and retail space — totes, shoulder bags, and weekenders dangle among sewing machines on the ground floor, and the basement was converted into a working studio. Nagashima and Goldstein have maintained a personalized, small-scale operation since they launched the label in 2006, making their own custom copper and brass hardware and distressing and finishing leather by hand. Their hands-on approach carried over into the renovation of the store — it took them seven months to remodel the space themselves, working evenings and weekends. (Since the pair is still the main force behind the production of the line, the shop keeps after-work hours; good news for anyone commuting from midtown.) The décor is a combination of found antiques and handmade creations, like repainted coffee tables and leather-upholstered cushions. Though the collection is carried in limited batches at boutiques like Opening Ceremony, Oak, and Hollander and Lexer, the retail space will feature new designs like clutches and petite cross-body shoulder bags. Smaller bags start at $700, and large, hand-distressed styles can top out at $3,000. The party starts at 7 p.m. on Saturday, so stop by to scope out the new space.

263 S. 1st St., at Havemeyer St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn (718-915-6982); Th—F (5—9), S (2—9).

Dunlin Brings Handmade Leather Bags to Williamsburg