On May 6th, 2009, Seams Boutique announced its grand opening at 1640 Union Street in the sunny Cow Hollow district of San Francisco. Taking over Flaunt, the previous store in this space, left off, Stephanie Stokes, owner, will not only be explaining the boutique’s already new brands and designers like Free People, J Brand, Lauren Moffat, and Patterson J. Kincaid, but changing the look and feel of the store along with the name.

“I’ve been in the fashion industry for a while, so I feel like I have a behind the scenes understanding of trends and marking. I want to bring in an aesthetic that’s more like a boutique you might find in LA or New York, but still with a San Francisco spin. Right now, this space is known for its great basics, but Seams is going to be a place where you can get some really special fashion pieces as well. All while receiving outstanding and fun customer service, of course!”

Stokes’ vision for the store as a neighborhood boutique, where shoppers can always find that special something, inspired her choice of name. Seams, the special definition of which is “a line where two objects connect,” encapsulates not only the concept of connecting people to exciting clothes, but having the boutique in constant connection with the community through charitable events and sales, by taking on emerging local designers, or by using the shop as a gallery space for area artists. Stokes, who grew up in the Bay Area and got her degree in product development from FIDM (Los Angeles), relocated to San Francisco last summer after working in PR for Hudson Jeans in Los Angeles for 2 years. “The store really fell into my lap at the perfect time. I’m excited to stay and support the city that I grew up in, and in the most beautiful neighborhoods San Francisco has to offer.”