Toast and Strawberries

Mid-afternoon found Rosemary sitting at the counter sticking stamps on postcards advertising the “Last Blast Sale and Show Party,” September 25. Her clothing store, Toast and Strawberries, is closing, and I came to chat-up a goodbye.

I’ve seen and known Toast and Strawberries since my first independent ventures through Dupont Circle, but never went in until recently. On that sophomore visit, I was asked to be in a fashion show. “Why not?” It was a fun, low-key affair in which I tried on dresses and outfits in various degrees of stunning, shocking and classically conservative Washington. Lots of friends, regulars and a few strays came through for the show.

Though most of the fashions are for older fashionable women, Rosemary’s engaging personality and crafty pieces invite anyone with an ounce of curiosity to come in and browse around. I invited myself to sit for a spell while she busied around the store, affixing labels, welcoming customers…

The name Toast and Strawberries… What’s the story? (Rosemary has been lots of places and tells great stories)

Rosemary had been working in Jamaica as a writer for the Amsterdam News, a New York paper, with plans of writing a book (that later materialized in a different book, Threads of Time, The Fabric of History: Profiles of African American Dressmakers and Designers 1850 to the Present). She also did craft design and sold jewelry made out of local woods, and sold to boutique sections in department stores.

She and a girlfriend hosted a dinner party, and at the end of then night, had dessert strawberries left over. Strawberries were expensive in Jamaica at the time, and so decided to eat them the next day with breakfast. They had toast and strawberries. The two words sounded like the name of a store. (Another name she loves is the shoe boutique on U St., Wild Women Wear Red.)

Her boutique showcases local designers and carries unique clothes. “It’s not too much fun seeing the same thing on someone else.”

Shopping in DC …
In the 70s, DC had two extremes—department stores and boutiques, what she called “owner-occupied stores,” where the owner lived above the store, “sometimes with the owners in the back making the goods.’ (Rosemary is also a great source of DC history).

This was the way Georgetown used to be. In the 70s, Georgetown was like a little village of small independent boutiques, “owner occupied.” The stores sold interesting things, interesting stores” and generated foot traffic. The foot traffic of course tipped off big retailers, who moved their stores into the area and subsequently moved out the little people.

She’s been in the Dupont area since the late seventies. Her first store was on P. St., where folks sip tea at Teaism, then moved to its current location. Civically responsible, she’s taken in interns from local high schools, and donated fashions to school fashion shows. Rosemary was also a member of a small business owner association that used to meet occasionally.

What’s next for Toast and Strawberries?
Rosemary considered moving, and looked to buy a location. The zip codes that she sells to are all over the Washington area, and while she has options, she’s not fully committed. She’s thinking of writing another book.

The challenge, however, is that she’s still planning her September activities. “It’s easy to keep a train running. It’s hard to stop it.” That’s the truth. While we’ve been chatting, a few women have come in to browse. Rosemary blooms into fashion maven, “Was there something special you were looking for?” The customer is en route to Atlanta and needs something weather appropriate. Rosemary ushers her to the rear of the store, pulls a few pieces…

So, for now, she will continue to do alterations, sell clothes on-line, which she says has been profitable, and continue to schedule T & S events. Just before the “Last Blast Sale” there is a book reading at New Carrollton Library on September 24, and she would welcome trunk shoes from local jewelers.