New business well-suited to old-time summers
Business Brief
1 comments below
Cara Loriz photo
Ms. Petrie-Badertscher buys authentic vintage bathing suits — she especially enjoys hitting yard sales here on Shelter Island — and frames them, some with vintage postcards of Shelter Island. They have names like “Dering Harbor,” a men's 1920s wool black one-piece suit with gold trim stripes, and “Crescent Beach,” a navy blue 1930s Jantzen one-piece with authentic lifeguard/water safety patches.
Shelter Island is the inspiration for Ms. Petrie-Badertscher's business as well as her part-time home. Growing up in Southold, she would bike to Shelter Island every weekend and ride around for hours. It was her childhood escape. “I fell in love with it ... the warmth, traditional values, sense of community.”
“I dreamed of having a house here someday” and in 2005 she made that dream come true. She and her husband Brian and kids Lilah (3 1/2) and Beckett (2) spend summers and weekends at a hilltop house on Prospect Avenue. Mr. Badertscher works in finance in New York City.
Susan introduced her husband to the Island when they were dating by taking him to the Shelter Island 10K. They stayed at the Chequit and he, too, fell in love with the place.
The business evolved from one yard sale purchase — the yellow children's bathing suit shown in the photo and later given a name with no small amount of sentimental value: “The Chequit.”
“I didn't know what to do with it” — the bathing suit that is — at the time. She pinned it, framed it and “stuck” a vintage Shelter Island postcard in with it. Friends seeing the piece asked, “‘If you ever see another one, I'd love to put one in my house.'” After many estate and other sales, a body of art and a business was born.
“The pieces mix memories and tradition with the modern world,” the artist said. A student of fashion merchandising and design at the University of Delaware and the FIT Art Collective in New York City, her talents have taken “a little different” career path, she said.
Petrie Point Designs usually has about 75 pieces available at any given time. And “this is the year” Ms. Petrie-Badertscher wants to see business grow. She's thinking of doing a trunk show at the Beach Club in the Heights and “hoping to grow an Island clientele.”
Those interested can find her collection online at www.petriepointdesigns.com but you won't find Petrie Point on a map. The Petrie family rented in Greenport for years out on Fanning Point across from Dering Harbor; the family dubbed the locale “Petrie Point.”
“I grew up believing that was what it was called,” she said. Now she can just see the place from her home in the Heights.
Ms. Petrie-Badertscher will continue making vintage bathing suit art from that home this summer and is optimistic that Islanders and others will want “a little piece of history” in their homes.
The Shelter Island Reporter is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. The Shelter Island Reporter does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not The Shelter Island Reporter. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Service and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.
1 comments found
vintage bathing suits : 8/25/2009
Hi Susan; Was looking for vintage bathing suit art and your web came up and was so happy to see that another someone frames vintage bathing suits, i have to admit i do have trouble finding them. Is there away to find them on line out your way???I am also looking for 3 vintage bathing caps to frame. I wish you much success with your business ...Enjoy Anita
