Oak, aye!

Handiwork gets a home at Back Bay boutique

By Christine Liu

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It's alarming to discover how much space is secretly tucked away underneath this brownstone on Gloucester Street, right around the corner from the hoity bustle of the Newb. Keara Sexton, the petite flame-haired owner of brand-spanking new Oak (a conveniently adorable abbreviation of "one-of-a-kind"), leads me through the 1,100-square-foot downstairs underbelly of her retail shop and the rooms designated for hands-on classes and creative community use. A huge original iron fireplace asserts architectural authority over the completely redone space ("Lots of walls came down," remarks Sexton), a total combination of three studio apartments amalgamated to become Oak.

When Sexton told her grandmother about her vision to create a store that sold only handmade goods, her response was, "Handmade? What? Potholders? Are you crazy?" Yet, Oak certainly doesn't feel like crafty nutsville; in fact, a lot of stuff will shock you that it's truly done by hand. Leather handbags and wallets—"You have to feel this," Sexton insists (it's obscenely, desirably buttery)—are artfully built by Valhallabrooklyn (now based in JP). A unisex double-breasted pea hoodie by Abigail Adams owns such cult popularity that it's the only product the designers make. Things that don't immediately come to mind when thinking handmade—swimwear, umbrellas, kitschy cocktail dresses—surreally are. Even the standard-issue IKEA couch in the middle of the store sports a hand-screened slipcover, and Oak's window lettering, signage and business cards are all products of independent handiwork. I'm starting to wonder if Sexton will confess that she, herself, is also the work of a creative designer. No word yet, but the theme runs so deep here that I wouldn't necessarily be surprised.

"I wanted a big variety of products: womens', mens', kids'," says Sexton. "Things are pretty well-represented now." (Vintage-printed bibs, check.) Sexton first discovered her designers by posting flyers throughout Boston, scoping goods at fairs like Bazaar Bizarre and combing through handmade-commerce website Etsy; however, now many independent producers are knocking down her door. Though she had been selling inventory through Oak's website for about a year, the merchandise was seriously taking over Sexton's Brookline apartment. Surveying her newly stocked store, she agrees, "It'll be nice to have a living room again."

[31 Gloucester St., Back Bay, Boston. oakboston.com]