Penfield Collective relocates from Fairfield to Westport
WESTPORT — The smell of a Lake and Skye perfume fills the air of Penfield Collective, as Harry Styles’ “Sweet Creature” plays softly in the background.
Vanessa Lewis, founder and owner of the new boutique, adjusts clothes on the rack. With each customer that comes in, new or old, she stops what she’s doing and greets them warmly, as if friends for a lifetime — sometimes, even with a hug.
Penfield Collective, which opened March 1, is Westport’s newest spot for what Lewis calls “laid-back luxury,” located in Sconset Square.
“It’s all so exciting, and we love being a part of this community,” Lewis said.
As the name suggests, Penfield Collective started out in Fairfield in 2018, named after the beach where she lived at the time.
After the lease recently ended in Fairfield, Lewis, now an Old Greenwich resident, said they wanted to find a space close to Fairfield and Westport, as her business had customers from both areas. Right in time, the spot in Sconset Square became available.
“We feel so lucky because we ended up in this square with the most beautiful shops, the most incredible restaurants,” she said. “We’re so inspired being here, every single day.”
Lewis grew up in various parts of Connecticut and attended Tulane University to study finance and marketing. After graduating, she entered a year-long retail training program with Coach in New York City, learning how to run a retail business, and even sitting in on meetings with its CEO.
“I knew from the first week of being there that I wanted to, one day, have my own store,” Lewis said. “So, that’s when the dream started.”
After being in the merchandising industry for 13 years, she said she learned a
lot about the best outfits, fabrics, styles, colors and fashion.
“I decided that Fairfield should have a shop that, basically, was the best of each category,” she said of her first store.
She and her team talk with hundreds of brands to find “the best colors, fabrics, fits for our customers” for each season, which they sell in store and online.
Lewis said the response at the new Westport location has been “fantastic” so far.
“We’ve seen so many of our loyal customers, there are new customers,” she said. “Our online shop has been nonstop.”
Lewis said she starts each day with breakfast from the neighboring Studio Café and posts Penfield’s inventory before opening the shop.
Right now, Penfield Collective is showing off its spring looks, which feature national and international designers.
She said one brand they’re “completely obsessed” with at the store is Suzie Kondi, an Australian designer based in New York City who sells clothing made out of velour or terry cloth.
Lewis also mentioned Anine Bing, an LA designer, whose line includes graphic tees, denim, shoes and sweatshirts, as well as Jennifer Fisher jewelry.
She said they sell Krewe sunglasses, a New Orleans brand, which Lewis said is
special to her, since she went to school there and her husband is from there.
Lewis said they focus on quality over
quantity when it comes to their merchandise.
“I want to make sure that if somebody’s buying something from this store, they can wear and love it for years,” she said.
Penfield Collective will even have pop up shops at places the team loves visiting such as Montauk, N.Y., this summer.
Lewis said they also host events for nearby nonprofits, including a meeting recently held for Near and Far Aid, a volunteer organization to break the cycle of poverty in Fairfield County.
“We’re so grateful for our customers,” Lewis said.