Welcome to part two of AD*’s shopping tour of Atlanta with designer Suzanne Kasler. To read part one, click here. *
Rejuvenated and refreshed after lunch, we resumed our excursion in Atlanta’s Westside area, originally a meatpacking district that was redeveloped nearly 15 years ago. With food still on our minds, we strolled through Star Provisions, which features a whimsical selection of tabletop items and cookware. Cloches and cake stands, stylish dog beds, and other intriguing odds and ends round things out to create a delightful lifestyle store. “I always buy stuff here,” Kasler noted. “Everything is adorable—and different. I see things here that I don’t see anywhere else,” she added, picking out a pair of blue-and-white-striped pillows.
Welcome to part two of AD’ s shopping tour of Atlanta with designer Suzanne Kasler. To read part one, click here.
Rejuvenated and refreshed after lunch, we resumed our excursion in Atlanta’s Westside area, originally a meatpacking district that was redeveloped nearly 15 years ago. With food still on our minds, we strolled through Star Provisions , which features a whimsical selection of tabletop items and cookware. Cloches and cake stands, stylish dog beds, and other intriguing odds and ends round things out to create a delightful lifestyle store. “I always buy stuff here,” Kasler noted. “Everything is adorable—and different. I see things here that I don’t see anywhere else,” she added, picking out a pair of blue-and-white-striped pillows.
We made a brief detour from our home-design focus to visit the eponymous clothing boutiques owned by Ann and Sid Mashburn , who live together but sell separately from nearby spaces. We started at her shop, which is light and fresh and well edited, offering pieces that are easy and classic but original enough to be distinctive—think J Brand jeans and Saint James striped tops. A mix of floral shirts and African beads and graphic scarves furthers an individual style. The mister’s store is, obviously, masculine, but with a casual aesthetic. It is outfitted with a Ping-Pong table, set for a match or a playful prop for matching tie and jacket. Both shops are the type of place that people who appear to have an unstudied style go to to study.
I had the chance to visit with Sid, and when I mentioned I was from Kansas City, we had one of those “You probably don’t know so-and-so...I probably do” conversations. We worked our way around to denim, and he said, “I carry two brands—A.P.C. and Levi’s. Men don’t like too many choices.” Indeed.
As we ticked stops off our itinerary, each shop owner and associate we met welcomed Kasler by name. “I moved here from Indianapolis 18 years ago,” she said, “it changed my career. I do most of my buying in Atlanta—at least 75 percent.”
One of her main go-to shops is Bungalow Classic , a large space beautifully styled with just about everything you would need to furnish an apartment in a day—or where you could find that chair or lamp you’ve been hunting for for monthr years. There’s a wide, sophisticated selection of classic furniture and accent pieces like zebra-print goatskin benches, graphically patterned pillows, and bone-inlaid boxes. They’ve basically got it all, soup to nuts.
“I’m sure you’ve heard of Pieces ,” said Kasler, as we entered Lee Kleinhelter’s shop in Buckhead. I had, actually, as I receive Kleinhelter’s regular e-mail updates. The space is a shot of energy, buzzing with color and both new and vintage finds. Kleinhelter was there that day, and it’s easy to see where the place gets its verve. Standing on a stool adjusting a window display while wearing four-inch wedges, she never missed a beat. Her store, along with others on our tour, confirms that Old South is not the only way to go in this town.
Our final stop was the Bill Lowe Gallery in Midtown. A serene space on a quiet street, it’s one of the top contemporary art galleries in the city. “It’s great to be able to find new and emerging artists here,” says Kasler, who often uses contemporary artworks in her interiors.
I thanked Kasler for sacrificing an entire day to show me around. “We got so much done—and it was fun,” she replied. It was fun. And I now have a couple dozen new spots to mark on that map.
