BEYOND THE GATES:
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Sarah-Hamlin Hastings ’87 1. You opened Fritz Porter Design Collective in Charleston in 2015. How did the concept originate? Has the business changed over time? We had just moved back to Charleston from Connecticut, and I was in the process of renovating our house when I came to the realization that there were very limited resources in Charleston for interior designers and retail customers looking to decorate their homes. After living in the New York City area for so many years, it was unfathomable to me that I had to drive six hours to Atlanta to source fabrics and custom furniture. So I decided to open a design showroom that was open to design trade professionals but also available to retail customers. We created a sort of hybrid business model that was one part home accessories and antiques, one part custom furniture, fabric and wallpaper, and finally one part design services to help customers bring it all together. We have tweaked the business model along the way based on sales and customer feedback, but the core concept has remained consistent— providing a place to find top quality unique pieces for your home with the highest customer service.
In my case, I went to New York for a job right after I graduated from Va n d e r b i l t University in 1995 and met Matt, who is now my husband. We ended up staying in the NYC area for over 15 years. I worked as an editorial assistant at Elle Photo Credit: Gateley Williams Decor magazine before finding my way into the interior design business. I worked for Cullman and Kravis in New York, Stiles Colwill in Baltimore and John Rosselli in New York before going out on my own. In 2010, Matt and I decided that we wanted to raise our children closer to family, so we moved back to Charleston. 3. When you were a student at Charleston Day School, what do you remember most? Were there teachers and/or events that helped shape you into who you are today? Were you interested then in art, antiques and design?
Fritz Porter Design Collective in the Old Cigar Factory 2. What was it like to grow up in the Lowcountry? What was your educational and career path after Charleston Day School? How did you find your way back to Charleston? Like many things, I didn’t appreciate how wonderful it was to grow up in a place like Charleston until I left many years later. It was an idyllic childhood spent hanging out at Hazel Parker Playground, crabbing off the dock at my grandparents house on Shem Creek, meeting up with friends at “The Gorm” in the Market and riding our bikes all over town (including to school every day, rain or shine!). Charleston Day was, and still is, such a special place to go to school—the small classes, the amazing teachers, and the fact that you are smack in the middle of the city make it a really unique place to learn and grow. I am still in touch with almost everyone from my CDS class, and many of them, like me, moved away after college and then eventually found our way back to Charleston. 14
FALL 2021
I loved riding my bike to school with friends from my neighborhood, getting really proficient at Tetherball and Four Square during recess, learning to use my height to my advantage on the basketball court with Coach Harrington, and being empowered by the faculty to put together something as important as the yearbook in eighth grade. One of the most memorable things from my time at CDS was moving from the State Street location to the current location on Archdale Street my eighth grade year. We buried a time capsule on the campus to document the occasion that I hope to be around to open one day. I was also given the opportunity in the eighth grade (along with a few classmates) to “design and decorate” our Senior Lounge. I don’t think the end result wasn’t anything earth shattering, but it was so cool to be entrusted to do something like that. All of these things seem so ordinary, but they had a huge impact on me at the time. Being given these unique opportunities helped instill a confidence that I could do anything I put my mind to. 4. What qualities did you develop during your time at Charleston Day School that have benefitted you as an entrepreneur?
