Reflecting on nearly nine years of owning Blackbird in Ballard, set to close at the end of the month, Nicole Miller has plenty to be proud of and little to regret. After all, her store shot from humble neighborhood boutique to an internationally recognized powerhouse of menswear.

“I never could have imagined that anyone would care about my point of view,” she said. “It's still hard for me to understand and accept the impact Blackbird has had on American menswear, retailing and design. I get a little dizzy when I think about it.”

Now, Miller is going a different direction, having reached and exceeded her goals in menswear. She will be focusing on wholesale with incense pyres, beard oils and black square soap, among other items. In addition, she told the Ballard News-Tribune that she has new goals and new challenges to aim toward.

“Designing stores and products for other people, public speaking and personal coaching is what truly kept me excited these past few years. Changing the business model will now give me time to take on more clients,” she said.

Though Blackbird will be closing, Miller said she could never imagine leaving Ballard and that she may open up a small apothecary shop again if they get a small enough space.

Miller, and menswear as a whole, has traveled a long journey from when she first started.

“I was girl who took her single guy friends out shopping in hopes of cleaning them up to find a girl,” she said. “It was hard work. There were very few places for men to shop in Seattle, let alone places that carried solid basics. We couldn't find a place with basic black shoes.”

Her frustration eventually turned into inspiration. And then one day, she found herself in Ballard pondering the possibilities.

“I was standing on Ballard Ave looking at a large retail space available for rent,” she said. “The ideas of what could go into that space started rushing through my head. I noticed groups of women with men in-tow carrying their bags and it occurred to me that there was nowhere for
these guys to shop.”

Pushing through the naysayers (“We still hear terrible comments about our prices or get called derogatory names like skinny hipsters”), creating wonderful memories (she once hatched chickens in the window of the Field House to attract customers) and winning menswear awards, Miller marked Ballard as a spot not just for Norwegian knick-knacks or a drink or two, but a center -- however humble the space -- of fashion.

"When I started Blackbird, menswear was in a deep rut, but the signs of change were starting to spring up,” Miller said in a letter to friends. “I had to search far and wide to find clothing that fit, fabrics that would wear well and designs that would move us into the future without breaking thebank or our sensibilities. It wasn't easy. Sales reps frequently said I wasn't buying what all the other stores selected, but that didn't bother me.

More than clothes, Miller said the people moved her the most. In the same letter, she said, “The mission started out being about the clothes but quickly the people were what mattered most; to see them as who they are, to inspire them to take one step further than the last, and to let them know it was okay to be themselves. I didn't know I would affect people. I didn't know how much you people would affect me."

Whatever Miller does next, one thing is certain: she is not dwelling on the past and the whatcould-have-beens, but rather the future and what she can still accomplish. She said nothing intimidates her and that she constantly craves challenges and projects with larger scopes.

She added that she wants “to become more involved in private efforts to improve the community and bring more culture, art and design to Seattle”

Oh, and there’s one more thing Miller is looking forward to.

“I need a real vacation.”

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