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Profiles
National Fashion Publications Take
Note of Stacy Smallwood’s Sense of
Style by Bentley DeGarmo ’97
When Stacy Small Smallwood ’97 began dreaming of owning her own women’s boutique, she never imagined
her aspirations would bring her right back to her hometown of Greenville, South Carolina. The first Hampden
Clothing opened in February 2007 on King Street in the highly competitive Charleston market. Since then,
Hampden has been featured in publications such as Vogue, Women’s Wear Daily, and Lucky and has become one
of the “must shop” boutiques in just a few short years.
Not one to remain still for long, Stacy
began forming plans for a second store
almost immediately. “I always hoped to
be able to open a second store within a few
years, and with Greenville becoming such
a thriving city and growing every day, I
couldn’t have hoped for a better place.” So,
when the opportunity presented itself in
Greenville, Stacy went after it with the same
enthusiasm that makes her such a great
retail owner. “I was delighted to find such
encouragement and support from the city.
Greenville’s family has been so welcoming
and supportive in respect to the growth of
small businesses.”
The second Hampden Clothing store
opened in November of 2008 in McBee
Station near the downtown Publix to the
delight of many Greenville women. Setting
herself apart from the usual boutique
crowd, Stacy prides herself on finding
emerging fashion designers. “I try to
remind my customers that it’s okay if you
haven’t heard of the brand yet, don’t be
intimidated by that – it’s my job to see
that you aren’t wearing the same labels and
styles as everyone else in town.” Indeed the
minute one enters her Greenville store, it’s
apparent that Stacy knows what she’s doing.
Stepping into the store, with its urban-chic,
minimalist décor and stylishly lush dressing
rooms, feels just like stepping into the pages
of a high-gloss fashion magazine.
Stacy strives to convey to people that
owning two retail stores is more than just
playing shop. “There’s a lot more behind
the ‘business’ of fashion than most people
realize,” she says. Stacy credits her drive
and unwavering energy to her early days
at Christ. “From the very start at Christ
Church School, you are held to higher
expectations and are taught to strive to be
your very best.” Stacy recalls that because of
the small class sizes, one was always driven to
succeed and try harder. “Even in high school,
it wasn’t cool not to do well. You had to
work hard, and working hard has definitely
gotten me where I am in my career today.”
Following Christ Church, she, along
with her twin sister, Sallie Small Holder
’97, headed to Vanderbilt University in
Nashville, Tennessee. While attending
a career fair, Stacy found the niche she’d
been looking for with high-end retailer
Neiman Marcus. “Without Christ Church,
I wouldn’t have ended up at Vanderbilt
and from there, would not have ended up
28 | Highlights