Where I’m Shopping: F.A.N in Fishtown

The coolest salon/jewelry shop/vintage store/photo studio ever.

This weekend my scouting took me to Fishtown, all the way up Frankford Ave., past Adorn (awesome festival-ready jewelry—go for the tasseled pieces now), Jinxed (I’ll fill you in on what I bought there later), Toile Atelier (the owner is only 25—visit and feel horrendously unaccomplished), Parlour (more on what I scored there later, too), and up, up, up to the point where you’re technically in Kensington, but it’s still a bit of a gray area, and there it is: F.A.N, which stands for FriendandNemesis, a spot I’ve been meaning to check out since it opened back in October and which, as I’ll find out, was totally worthy of a trip.

“Yeah, we’re Kenzos,” says co-owner Andreas, before telling me that Fishtown locals still consider F.A.N really part of Fishtown. I don’t blame them: When a pair of former New Yorkers by way of London by way of New York convert a rehabbed factory into a wide-open hair salon/photo studio/boutique (complete with a Foosball table and shelves of books that you can rent when you come in for a hair appointment), you want to claim it as your own.

Andreas owns the space with his wife, Kristy, a seasoned designer and stylist whose resume boasts stints with Vivienne Westwood and Kiki de Montparnasse. (When I first arrive, she’s busy finishing up with a client in the salon part of the shop, where she works alongside Michelle Martin, a makeup artist, brow shaper and Rescue alum.) But I’m not here to get my hair done—not this time, anyway. I’m here to shop. (Well, actually I’m here to scout, but this quickly turns into shopping because I have a problem.)

There are small areas sprinkled throughout the open space—Andreas refers to them as being like mini “tents,” like those you’d find at a circus—which feature small, super-curated collections by a handful of designers. There is a wall filled with Bailey hats; a sampling of Apothia unisex perfumes and lotions (hard to find in the area; you’ll want to smell the Pearl scent); a table of jewelry by Shannon Leigh; and a few racks of well-edited vintage. (I walked away with a kimono-sleeved jacket from the ’80s, which I scored for only $45—and which my husband promptly dismissed as being ugly which means it’s amazing—and a chunky gold cuff for $25.)

But the collection you really want to check out is the work of Kristy herself: awesome spiked hair combs (these have found their way into plenty of national press), leather spats (which look divine on a pair of simple boots or heels), and jewelry (I’ve got my eye on a few necklaces and these buffalo horn earrings).

F.A.N is located at 2472 Frankford Avenue. Call it Kensington (you’d be technically correct), call it Fishtown, call it utterly cool—and make a point to visit.  Visit the website here. Oh, and look for my kimono jacket coming to an Instagram feed near you soon.