To hear Cheryl Floyd tell it, she and Vicki Deppoliti are “besties” and Old Greenwich moms – Floyd with four girls and Deppoliti with two daughters and two sons – who amid raising their children “felt we had lost our beautiful.”
So they grabbed a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Rosé, got on a train for Manhattan and went looking for it in the Big Apple’s jewelry shops. What they found was not only enough “joy and jewelry” to share back home with others who were looking for their beautiful, “too,” but a business model. They called it Too Sparrows, in part because of their affinity for sparrows, whose myriad meanings include guidance.
The two sparrows began Too Sparrows seven years ago with a jewelry pop-up, launching a clothing and accessories brick and mortar on Sound Beach Avenue in 2022. Last December, they moved down the street to 206 Sound Beach Ave. on the site of what was once a Bank of America branch. (This has yielded a most unusual design by the pair, one that is part boudoir, part boho chic, particularly in the hot pink, silver and black-and-white powder room, which incorporates the bank vault’s steel doors. (The actual vault, Floyd said, will be part of the upcoming, adjacent JuJu. A Cantina by Anshu Vidyarthi of Le Fat Poodle and Le Penguin fame.) E. Ronald Gushue, head of ERG Architect in Greenwich, designed Too Sparrows’ youthful, golden façade to stand out on the street, which wears its wealth casually.
The handsome 780-square-foot space is but the setting for the jewel of the apparel and accessories, which include everything from flowing dresses to the popular Nike socks. And given Deppoliti’s two sons, there’s stuff for males age 10 and up – all for under $200. Floyd said she and Deppoliti wanted a store that offered quality items at affordable prices.
“We know the market and try to keep the store adaptable,” Floyd said. “We’re eager to listen to what our customers need.”
Besides influencing the inventory, Floyd and Deppoliti’s children also work in the boutique, with high school- and college-age children of friends joining in as well, Floyd said. It’s all in the families, from concept to design to merchandising and marketing.
Floyd, an Alexandria, Virginia, native who describes herself as someone who “likes getting dressed up,” also works in massage and Reiki, a Japanese technique that uses touch to transfer energy for healing. For her and Deppoliti, Too Sparrows is all about caring for their customers.
That moment, Floyd said, when they “find their beautiful” – thanks to a new outfit or look – “that’s our reward.”
For more, visit toosparrows.com.
