From Brooklyn to Round Top

In this monthly series, local realtor Andrea Schutter Riebeling does a Q & A with local business people about what inspires them. This month’s interview is with Linda Lindsay of “Brooklyn to Round Top” in Round Top.

1.) What is your business?

My business is a collaboration of fabulous artisans including their handmade products along with the offering of design services. This March 2025, a dream came true as I aligned new artisans from Texas and original artisans from Brooklyn, New York, to create from Brooklyn to Round Top, a showcase featuring one of a kind finds by painters, decorators, framers, craftsmen, and more at 507 North Washington in Round Top.

2.) How did you get started?

I started in Brooklyn where I developed a furniture line The Brooklyn Bench, which is currently in The Cooper Hewitt Museum archives; and a fabric line, The Heritage Toile, featured in Newsday as part of their coverage of the Millionaires Mansions on Long Island.

I moved from Brooklyn to Texas to be closer to my daughter and grandchildren, but once here, I realized I was missing something. In Round Top, I found the diversity and vibrancy I needed, drawing inspiration from this wonderful, creative community.

3.) How long have you been in business?

I started a service business in 1993 and then evolved into a furniture and fabric designer. I participated in charitable designer showcases, Mansions and Millionaires Showcase and staged for Brooklyn developers through the Corcoran Group.

4.) Is this a family or one person business?

This is a family business.

5.) What kind of service do you provide?

Services include custom window treatments and pillows; upholstery services; furniture product lines, kitchens/ flooring, and fabrication design that includes granite, marble and onyx.

6.) Tell me something unique about your business?

Before relocating to Texas, I opened a studio in Harlem and later operated a full- service design firm as well as a retail store in Brooklyn’s historic Bedford Stuyvesant.

The Brooklyn Bench is currently in the archives of the Cooper Hewitt Museum.

My blessing has been to actually create and turn my dreams into a reality when it comes to creating a space for retail sales.

ground?

My background is showroom management and design consultant. I worked for the Herman Miller Showroom Corporate Furnishings as a sales manager; Brueton Industries in sales and administration; Ballantre on Madison Avenue; The House of Scalamandré in fabrics and for two retail design stores, Ethan Allen and Domain, as a design consultant.

8.) What do you suggest to others who want to venture out and take a leap of action in the future of their career?

Just do it, especially if it is a passion. You have to work hard, believe in yourself and in the people around you. Align yourself with tradespeople and artisans.

9.) Do you believe in college, trade school, or any training?

Absolutely. I’m a graduate of UCLA in Business Administration and completed my design training at the New York School of Interior Design. As we continue to grow and move forward, we need more trade schools and training programs.

10.) How did you decide to make Fayette County your home? Doing my research and talking to clients, who thought it would be great for me to showcase at Round Top is how I got here.