You Should Know: Blair Clarke

by Christie Grimm · August 29, 2016

From the mean streets of the Upper East Side, to the mean streets of Sag Harbor, Blair Clarke somehow remains the very picture of propriety. Southern accent and all. You know, plus a generous amount of sass.

Name: Blair Clarke
Occupation: Gallery owner
Place of Birth: Augusta, Georgia
Instagram / Twitter: @blairvoltzclarke @voltzclarke
Zodiac Sign: Taurus

What do you actually do? Mom to two headstrong, wonderful girls! Owner of Voltz Clarke Gallery in uptown Manhattan.

My motto is: Everything, and I mean everything, in moderation

5 Favorite Hamptons Places:
Havens Beach in Sag Harbor
Barefoot kids camp in Bridgehampton
Knockout Beauty in Bridgehampton
Our trampoline in Sag
La Superica in Sag - best frozen margarita on planet
Sag Harbor library
New donut shop in town
Buddha Berry yogurt
Thursday night music on the wharf at Marine Park in sag
And of course last but no least the Crow's nest in Montauk! (Both restaurant AND gift shop)


The craziest thing I've done out East is... Perhaps the silliest was an Amagansett time-share where my friends and I drafted a detailed color-coded spreadsheet for 13 housemates' weekend schedules. We left it on the kitchen table in plain view and the landlord stopped by one day. The house was meant to hold 3.

As a homeowner here, I'm now ashamed of our highly organized yet quasi dishonest approach. We were evicted after being met at the door with a subpoena for our arrest. Little did she know we were all southerners with nice manners...we had the house looking cleaner, with fresh cut flowers and in better design shape than when we found it. 

Another funny story is my now husband and I were dating 15 years ago yet had broken up for several weeks over an argument. I was staying at the old Barron's cove with friends and one pal texted that Sunday to say they spotted Alistair from a distance in town by the variety store. I bee lined it so quickly to 'ironically' bump into him. It started pouring rain and we took shelter in the old coffee shop behind Collette (now sag town coffee) where we drank iced hot chocolate. I cancelled my jitney home... We were engaged within a few weeks. Not sure I've ever come clean on this full story!

Best kept Hamptons secret? Fried chicken at Crommers on Noyac. Yum! Also, best gifts year round are found at the Parrish Museum gift shop.

If you had one day left out East, what would you do? Hunt for bioluminescent blooms out on Block Island.

Who should we know? Photographer Nancy Richardson! She is preparing for her solo show with Voltz Clarke Gallery this spring and her huge shelter island studio next to the Tuck ice cream shop is a must visit. She lives full time on Shelter creating enormous technical photomontages that make you feel like you are living in a botanical garden!

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