Brooklyn Denim Co. Closing and Its Role in Williamsburg Garment Company’s Story
By Maurice Malone Published February 8, 2026
In the last hour of the day that Brooklyn Denim Co. was open, I stopped by to pay my respects. It wasn’t ceremonial or dramatic—just a moment to stand in a space that mattered and acknowledge what it represented for independent brands and the denim community. Brooklyn Denim Co. wasn’t just a retail store; it was part of the infrastructure that helped keep this industry moving.
Brooklyn Denim Co. was one of the first retailers to carry the Williamsburg Garment Company brand, shortly after we started in 2011. In February 2018, we decided to leave our first Havemeyer Street flagship retail store because it had been unknowingly leased to us without working heat. Frank Pizzurro and his partner Kenny Abiog opened their doors and gave us a home in the back office at BDC. We worked from that space until February 2021, when we moved into our current address at 67 West Street.
That period at Brooklyn Denim Co. became especially meaningful during COVID. When the shop doors were closed, Frank and I stood inside the store more than once, looking around and asking the same question every business owner was asking at the time: how do we pay our bills if everything stays shut down? It was an uncomfortable moment, but also a clarifying one. Standing there, it became obvious that the traditional retail model wasn’t going to carry us through that period on its own.
I started thinking beyond New York. Not every area of the country was shutting down at the same time, and consumers were still buying jeans—often more than usual—as brands and retailers panicked and put inventory on sale. My thinking was straightforward: people buying jeans online were going to need those jeans altered, and many walk-in tailors were closed. That gap was real, and it was nationwide. That realization became the pivot.
With not much money to work with, I’d put $10 in the ads account, see $30 to $50 come back in sales, then put $10 more in. I focused on making online ordering simple and removing friction for customers who had never mailed jeans out for alterations before. Before long, the stack of boxes coming in for alteration work started to grow higher and higher. I remember walking into the shop and seeing Frank standing next to a hill of boxes—most of them for Williamsburg Garment Company. Even with the store doors closed, the business was growing. That stretch marked the beginning of how we became the nation’s number one online denim tailoring service.
With Brooklyn Denim Co. closing, it also gives us a quiet reminder of our own blessings. Almost exactly five years ago, while on Christmas vacation, Frank unexpectedly informed me that their landlord wanted the space we worked in back. We were given 30 days to pack up, figure out our next move, and make decisions during a time when uncertainty was everywhere.
With COVID still looming, we didn’t want to bite off more than we could chew. We moved into a small 500-square-foot room at 67 West Street. One year later, our new landlord knocked down walls so we could expand. A year after that, we expanded again into our current suite. Each step came with risk, and none of it was guaranteed.
None of this happened by accident. It happened through hard work, good people, and the willingness to pivot when the moment demanded it. The photos shared with this post show interns, staff members, and teammates who showed up day after day—cutting, sewing, packing boxes, answering emails, and helping build something larger than any one person. Turning lemons into the base of a well-made cocktail isn’t just a phrase; it’s been a practice. We’re grateful for everyone who’s been part of that effort, and we don’t take any of it lightly.