Watch CBS News

Tiny Shopping Village Launches In Seaport District

BOSTON (CBS) - Tiny houses and micro-apartments have been suggested as ways to help ease the housing crunch in Boston. Now a developer is taking that concept to retail in the Seaport, creating a tiny village called The Current.

The space, located on bustling Seaport Boulevard, is a collection of nine very small retail spaces which create a walkable shopping corner.

Tiny Shopping
A shop in the "She-Village" in Boston's Seaport District. (WBZ-TV)

The tiny shops will have a rotating collection of retailers each with a common theme. The first is called She-Village, highlighting female-founded fashion-forward brands.

Easton native Kelly Brabants is one of the local small businesses that will be part of She-Village. She's been selling her athleisure brand, Booty By Brabants, online for nearly four years. This project gave her an opportunity to try her first brick and mortar store without the risk of signing an expensive, long-term lease. "I could never afford the crazy Boston rents," she said. "It's always been my dream of mine to connect with customers, not just behind a computer screen."

She-Village has some national brands including Cynthia Rowley, but like Brabants, many of the stores are local first-timers. Katie Demo and Jay Adams were high school classmates at Lincoln-Sudbury. When they started working, both wanted to simplify their wardrobe so they launched Brass. The clothing line has a studio right around the corner in South Boston. "For us to have a smaller space in our hometown to have a guide shop to show people what Brass is all about is a huge opportunity for us," Demo said.

Tiny Shopping
Tiny shopping in Seaport District. (WBZ-TV)

This micro-neighborhood is the brainchild of WS Development, the company behind a massive mixed-use space in the Seaport. Carina Donoso is the director of retail incubation for the company. "There is a trend with tiny homes, how about shopping and create a space to give these brands a chance to create their own," she said.

She-Village retailers:

Booty by Brabants
Boston-based Booty by Brabants is a fashion-forward fitness and street style apparel company founded by local fitness mogul Kelly Brabants. Its textured leggings and activewear are built to last while empowering women to feel good from the gym to the dance floor.

Brass
Boston's Brass provides women with beautiful, well-tailored clothing intentionally designed for the workplace. The brand's versatile styles mix and match to form the ideal wardrobe foundation, simplifying the daily process of getting up and getting dressed.

Bref
Montreal-based boutique, gallery, and event space, Bref offers customers a unique journey and shopping experience tailored for lovers of art and design. Each month, Bref rotates its offerings to feature a new theme and relevant exclusive items made by emerging artists and brands.

Cynthia Rowley
Leading global lifestyle brand Cynthia Rowley is built on the philosophy that fashion should be an adventure. Flirtatious dresses and beautiful-yet-performance-driven surf/swim styles share space with monthly surprise collaborations, including messenger bags and sneakers and slides.

Havenly
An online interior design company and e-commerce platform, Havenly makes beautiful design more accessible to real people. The brand matches customers with real interior designers and facilitates seamless style experiences from concept through to product delivery.

Margaux
Groundbreaking retailer Margaux offers wearable shoes in heritage styles, all meticulously crafted from the finest quality Italian leather. The brand's footwear marries classic simplicity and functionality in chic collections designed to confidently take women anywhere they want to go.

Monica + Andy
Monica + Andy creates organic essentials for moms and babies, made by moms with babies. Classical and whimsical prints meet to reinvigorate layette clothes and blankets in addition to a line for littles ages 0-8. Every piece made is GOTS certified organic cotton and muslin.

Orly Khon Floral
Flowers from Orly Khon Floral tell a story, one that's uniquely modern and statement-making, richly bohemian, romantic and fresh. Orly Khon Floral's arrangements are instantly identifiable, and its full-service floral experience translates beautifully across home, office, and events.

The Giving Keys
This custom-made jewelry line exhibits its unique dedication to paying it forward through a devotion to creating job opportunities for individuals transitioning out of homelessness. Each piece created features inspirational words for the wearer to embrace and pass to another in need.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.