Fire Opal Woven Into Brookline Fabric

Brookline is full of small businesses. Brookline Patch will be featuring at least one each week -- whether a restaurant, florist, salon, etc.. Let us know if there's a particular one you'd like to read about in this weekly series.

Fire Opal has been a part of the Brookline fabric since 1997. Each item for sale in this American Craft Gallery at 320 Harvard Street is handmade by artisans from all over the U.S. including local artists.

With stores in Brookline and Jamaica Plain, Fire Opal specializes in jewelry, arts, clothing, ceramics, furniture, fibers and tableware.

“We carry about 200 artists’ work,” owner Sue Stein said. “We love bringing in work from artists who work with new materials and new ideas.”

During an interview with the Brookline Patch, Stein said that one of the most wonderful aspects of working in such a tight-knit community like Brookline is having customers who have moved away return for holidays or family visits and they make a point to visit her store.

“Brookline is such a fantastic community,” Stein said. “I love seeing someone come in with a 10-year-old who I met as a baby.”

When asked if there was anything that could help improve small businesses in Brookline, Stein laughed, initially saying that nothing needed to be changed. After a few moments, she shrugged and said, “parking could always be better.” But seeing as how only so much can be done about parking, Fire Opal seems to be doing just fine.