Meet Sweet William Owner, Bronagh Staley

Mother Stories

Meet Bronagh Staley, The Owner Of Sweet William

Written by James Kicinski-McCoy

Photography by PHOTOGRAPHED BY KATRINA DICKSON

Sep 15, 2015

When it comes to the best in highly-curated children’s clothing, accessories, and toys, one store truly stands apart from the rest, thanks to Bronagh Staley. The Ireland-born Sweet William owner and mother of two takes us around her bright, open-floor-plan home and the new Silverlake baby and kids’ store location. With the help of her children, Isis (who goes by Icy) and Fointan, the New York City transplant talks about her new L.A. stomping ground, running a successful business, motherhood, and more.

: “Of course! The best part is the unconditional love I have for my children. The down side is feeling like you are a servant 24/7.”
Bronagh wears a Base Range silk camisole and vintage jeans. Icy wears a Popupshop short jumpsuit.

“Seeing how much personality they seem to have built-in.”

Sneaking in some morning cuddle time.

“I would say to make sure your first child still feels special and gets attention.”

“I am amazed by their sensitivity, creativity, and beauty.”

A collection of crystals line the window sill.

“An ideal day is one where I am not working and just hanging out with the kids. Sometimes the best days are not activity-heavy and just involve a lot of chatting, cooking, and maybe a trip to the park. I love finishing the day with cuddling at bedtime.”

“Yes—that is very important. There is a 5-year gap between their ages, so they both have different needs.”
Fointan wears a Vans top, shorts, socks, and a graffiti hat.

“Modern with soul.”
Bronagh wears an Adirondacks tee and a Base Range silk skirt. Icy wears an Adirondacks tee, which used to belong to Fiontan, and an Atsuyo et Akiko skirt.

Icy enjoys a cool spritz of water.

“Not really—though, there are definitely a lot more toys around. I’ve come across many great designers who make toys and other items for children that fit beautifully with our style, but are still fun for the kids.”
Fointan wears a Santa Cruz tie-dye tee with Vans skate shorts and socks.

“Minimal, but warm. There’s definitely a folky, old-world feel to some of our stuff, which has evolved over the years between New York and California. It’s still very modern and simple.”

“The kitchen! It’s the center of our house, literally and figuratively. We have a little counter with stools where the kids like to hang out while we cook.”

“My husband made me this little crystal pendulum hut as a gift. It doesn’t perform any function, but I really like it. Also, my tea cups and china, which I have been collecting for years. I guess they remind me of Ireland, where I am from.”

The afore mentioned china.

“Our kitchen is a big hangout spot. It flows right into the living room, which also has a wonderful view. We’ve got a bunch of big pillows and cushions where the kids (and adults) can hang out on the floor.”

Fiontan shows off his boards.

“My mother had six children, so it is hard to even compare.”

“Try to have a date night once a week, although that rarely happens!”

“You can’t negotiate with a three-year-old!”

“I wish I wasn’t so hard on myself about how I parent.”

We love the bright pops of color and patterns seen throughout the house.

“I don’t think so. Hopefully I will have grandchildren some day.”
Bronagh wears a Base Range gauze jumpsuit. Icy wears a Cabbage & Kings dress.

“My style is pretty simple and casual. I wear a mix of modern and vintage. I never wear anything that is not comfortable.”

Serene patio view.

“I don’t think I have put on a pair of high heels since becoming a parent.”

“Maybe a vintage t-shirt with a Base Range skirt or pants. I also frequently go for just jeans and a t-shirt.”

“Honestly, most of what I wear is interchangeable between day, night, work, and downtime. If the occasion arises, I might wear a dress or outfit from Electric Feathers along with something grungy, of course.”

The cutest little crafts.

“Most of what I wear is made by Base Range, which is designed by my great friend Marie Louise Morgendorf from Denmark who also designs the childrens line, Popupshop. It is the perfect blend of stylish and comfortable.”

“I am not a huge shopper and I never really buy online. In LA, I really like Mohawk General Store. I also like Dream Collective, which is our Silverlake store’s neighbor. In New York, our Brooklyn store’s neighbor, Oroboro, is great. Electric Feathers is another Brooklyn store that I love to shop.”

“As a mother, there is generally much less focus on oneself, but I do buy a lot of Lypo Spheric Vitamin C and Ayush herbs online.”

“To use what we had. We didn’t necessarily go out and get a bunch of fancy things for the children’s rooms. Instead, we’ve let them infuse the spaces with their own personalities over the years, by collecting little things that bring memories into their rooms.”

“For Fiontan, it’s definitely the dry erase board where he like to practice his graffiti. For Icy, it’s her tea set. If go into her room, you will definitely be served some invisible tea.”

“Fiontan is a name from Irish mythology. Isis is my favorite Bob Dylan song. She goes by ‘Icy’ most of the time.”

“I love taking naps with all three of us in the bed together. Sorry, Peter!”

“I love the smell of sandalwood, so I like any high-quality sandalwood product, such as Erbario Toscano Sandalwood. I also love Diptyque Lait Frais Body Lotion and wear it every day."

An impressive soap collection.

“We are fairly new to LA, having been here less than a year. There are so many cliché things to say about moving from New York to LA. Of course, New York is a wonderful place and living there was amazing for us. I think it will always be a part of the children's DNA. My husband was born and grew up in Manhattan, so we feel that we have strong roots in that city. His parents still live in the apartment that he grew up in. On the other hand, Silverlake has an interesting, creative spirit and it’s just getting better every day. I am a runner and you really can’t beat the proximity to nature. I love being able to run through the hills of Griffith Park and up to the Observatory every day. It is truly a great place for kids. So much time is spent outside and being active. I do miss rainy days in Ireland, though. Always have, always will.”
Icy wears a Kätchen illustrated tee and a Dagmar Daley striped skirt.

“We are lucky to have great parks, shops, and restaurants in our area, so we often stay close. Sometimes we venture to Venice or Malibu beaches, if we are feeling ambitious.”

Books for days!
Bronagh wears a vintage dress from a thrift store in Adironacks.

“I own and operate, with my husband, a children’s clothing store called Sweet William. We started out in Williamsburg, where we lived at the time, and eventually expanded to Manhattan and Silverlake, our new home. I spend a lot of time in the store with customers, or in my office, and of course, traveling and scouting out new designers from around the world.”

The coolest outdoor office!

“I started out as a stylist and worked my way up to be a fashion editor. I worked at T, The New York Times Magazine for a few years. Later, I moved on to become an editor at Cookie, where I learned the children’s market. When I had my first child, I decided to go after the dream of opening my own store—I have been running (and loving) Sweet William for about 9 years now.”

The perks of having a store-owning mama.

“Working with creative people, and discovering new designers. I love being the first to discover international designers and sell them in the USA. I love helping out new, up-and-coming creative people and love to be a part of their brand’s growth. We’ve seen it happen a couple of times through Sweet William. We have been the first to carry lines that are now doing tremendously well, and it’s amazing. It makes you feel better on the days when you want to throw in the towel.”

“This fall, we’ll be launching our own in-house brand called Fort William. It’s something we’ve wanted to do for a long time and we are so happy it’s about to become a reality. We will also be updating and relaunching our website this fall.”

Sweet new friends everywhere you look!

“I started my family and business at the same time, so it has been a balancing act from the beginning, but there is at least a sense of building something that is yours and for your family. Before that, I mostly worked in the fashion industry where many of the jobs fall into a hierarchical structure where you feel like you are toiling to climb up the food chain. As soon as I had my first child I knew I had to get out of that world.”

“It is really difficult. I often feel guilty for focusing on work as much as I do, but owning a business makes it very difficult to turn work off. On the other hand, being my own boss enables me to not have a set schedule, so I am always there for my kids. We are a very close family and spend a lot of time together. Fortunately and unfortunately, since so much of what I do can be done on the phone, work is often mixed into family time.”

Having some fun at mama's store.