Stacy Smallwood Founder,
Hampden Clothing

With a vision to revive the time honored art of dressing a woman, Stacy Smallwood has established Hampden Clothing as the southeast’s newest destination for personal style. A native of Greenville, South Carolina, Stacy has had an interest in the creative arts since her childhood. Her early influences stemmed from formal ballet and photography training where she developed an eye for movement and a flair for the original.

Following her education at Vanderbilt University which included courses at Lorenzo de Medici in Florence, Italy, Stacy leapt into the rigorous and well-respected buyers training program at Neiman Marcus in Dallas, Texas. There, she was mentored by some of the best buyers in the business and carefully honed her retailing and customer service skills. Stacy rose through the ranks as an assistant buyer for designer sportswear. She worked closely with top European and American fashion houses such as Escada, traveling the country to oversee trunk shows and give trend presentations for customers and employees. Stacy was later promoted to manager for ladies shoes at the company’s flagship store. There, her team was recognized with the prestigious “department of the year” award in 2003.

Seeking to learn a more intimate side of retail business, Stacy left Neiman Marcus and signed on as manager of Dallas’s Premium 93 – one of the city’s leading independent boutiques. At Premium 93, she was introduced to some of the country’s best emerging designers and learned perhaps the most important skill in fashion: how to mix cutting edge pieces with wardrobe basics to develop a woman’s individual style.

Having seen fashion through the lenses of these diverse entities, Stacy has a truly unique perspective. Throughout her youth, Stacy and twin sister, Sallie vacationed at their family’s second home in Charleston. On these trips, they always looked forward to visiting the fashionable shops along King Street. Now, Stacy is excited to complete the circle, returning South with her own store on King, and shopping web site that reflect her broad retail experience and first-hand knowledge of what women want in clothing and accessories.