Saison, the small Brooklyn baking outfit run by Samantha “Sammy” Rees, is getting ready to turn a sunny Bed-Stuy corner into a bakery and curated goods shop this summer. The new spot will mix pastries with pantry staples and vintage tableware, and will move the business beyond its current private catering focus when doors open in early July.
Corner storefront on Hancock Street
As reported by Brownstoner, Saison is taking over the corner space at 434 Hancock Street, across from Natty Garden and in the former Waffle House, and will start with a limited schedule of Thursday through Sunday hours. Those hours are expected to expand once fall rolls around, with a soft opening penciled in for early July.
From lockdown boxes to a neighborhood shop
Rees launched Saison during the pandemic, dropping off weekly boxes packed with market produce, flowers, and baked goods before evolving the project into a catering and gifting studio, according to Saison's website. A January fundraising page shows she has pulled in roughly $15,875 to cover renovations and equipment, and credits friends Beatrice and Nathan, the founders of Studio NTL, with designing the new space for her. Vogue has previously highlighted Rees’s background on the home-market side of editorial work.
What to expect from the counter
The pastry case is slated to read like a neighborhood fan letter: fleur-de-sel chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cherry brownies, rose banana bread, blueberry cornmeal muffins, and a stone-fruit frangipane cake, plus savory sandwiches and prepared foods, Brownstoner reports. Saison’s calling card has been seasonal sweets and market-driven menus, and that rotation is expected to follow whatever is freshest.
Design, events and local fit
According to the fundraising page, the Hancock Street storefront will let Rees shift from apartment-based catering into retail, classes, and event work, while also helping fund the buildout, kitchen equipment, and opening costs. The GoFundMe highlights the design collaboration with Studio NTL as part of a community-backed effort to bring the shop to life, and Saison’s site notes that the brick-and-mortar will finally let the business put its baked goods and curated finds directly into the hands of Bed-Stuy neighbors.
