Barbara Smith died at 70 and has left a legacy beyond her restaurants and home goods collections
I did know her, having crossed paths with her many times as she became a well-known figure in the home furnishings industry with collections of homeware and furniture for a number of companies, most notably a line with Bed Bath & Beyond. While many of her designs appealed to an African-American aesthetic—just as her restaurants in New York, Washington D.C. and the Hamptons did—they were also embraced by Americans of all colors and ethnic backgrounds.
And while she first came to public attention as one of the earliest African-Americans to become a mainstream fashion model and appear on national magazine covers, the color of her skin never seemed as important to her success as her drive, her talent, her warmth and graciousness—and that big wonderful smile.
When she worked a home furnishings trade show, she made sure to greet as many people as possible, connecting with them in a way that few people have mastered. You may not have seen her since the show a year ago, but she made you feel like she and Dan had just had you over for dinner last night. The last time I saw Barbara was at a book signing at an Upper West Side Barnes & Noble store in Manhattan, right after the publication of her book. It was 2016, and the disease was already having a significant debilitating impact on Barbara. The big smile was still there, but there wasn’t a whole lot behind it. You knew it was Barbara—but you also knew it wasn’t.
One can hope that in addition to all those great designs, the delicious food, the amazing pictures and that big wonderful smile, her fight against Alzheimer’s will leave something for the rest of us.The business of retailing is my specialty...and boy is it special. Plenty of good, bad and ugly to go around and my job, as it has been for most of my career as aThe business of retailing is my specialty...and boy is it special.
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