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What started as a response to sidewalk scaffolding turned into a viral Upper East Side stoop landmark, where creativity, motherhood, and community collide.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve had a love affair with NYC long before Sarah Jessica Parker made it official. Born and bred in Brooklyn before it was cool, I\u2019d hop the F train into Manhattan any chance I got \u2014 and naturally, fell hard for Sex and the City. So when I discovered Stoop and the City, I knew I\u2019d found the next best thing.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve spent any time online, you\u2019ve seen it: the stunning Upper East Side stoop dreamed up by Kristi Hemric, a Dallas native who now calls New York home with her husband and four kids \u2014 ages six, four, and three-year-old twins. What began as a creative solution to an ugly scaffolding situation quickly became one of the city\u2019s most beloved and recognizable spaces.<\/p>\n
I caught up with Kristi just before Mother\u2019s Day to talk about raising a big family in NYC, her latest stoop designs, and her new partnership with Alegra.<\/p>\n
Psst\u2026 Check Out How Queens Native Ren\u00e9 Marsh\u2019s Loss Shaped the Most Gentle Story<\/a><\/p>\n Kristi Hemric of Stoop and the City I probably started decorating in 2023, before I officially started the Stoop and the City account in 2024. We live in a brownstone next to a large apartment building. In New York City, buildings have to do brickwork every few years, and scaffolding goes up. Because of the city laws, the scaffolding extended past their property line and onto ours.<\/p>\n We didn\u2019t even get notice. We just heard people drilling into our house one day.<\/p>\n Once scaffolding goes up in New York, it can stay up forever. It\u2019s often cheaper for buildings to leave it there than take it down. So I thought, \u201cOkay, this is probably going to be here for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n I always loved those restaurants with flowers over the doors, and I realized nobody could even really see our front door anymore, so I could decorate it however I wanted. I thought I could do this and won\u2019t annoy the neighbors because no one would even see it anyway.<\/p>\n That\u2019s really how it started.<\/p>\n And now it\u2019s become such a phenomenon.<\/p>\n Kristi: It\u2019s funny because it literally started with giant pink flowers around the doorway. I thought my husband was going to say absolutely not, but I think he figured nobody would notice anyway.<\/p>\n Then people started seeing it. We really love our neighbors, so our biggest thing was making sure people enjoyed it. Once we realized people liked it, we just kept going.<\/p>\n I loved it because I\u2019m born and bred in Brooklyn, and the stoop was the centerpiece of our existence growing up. Everything happened on the stoop \u2014 good and bad. You celebrated there, got in trouble there, played with your friends there. It feels like that\u2019s what\u2019s happening again.<\/p>\n It really is. We even put a little sign on the gate telling people they\u2019re welcome to take pictures. People ask all the time if we mind them standing on the stairs, and I\u2019m like, \u201cNo, it\u2019s a community sidewalk.\u201d<\/p>\n We wouldn\u2019t decorate if we didn\u2019t want people enjoying it. We put out bubbles for kids to play with because we want them to play with them.<\/p>\n The most shocking thing has honestly been how respectful everyone is.<\/p>\n That was actually my next question. You leave the decorations out overnight, and they\u2019re still there in the morning?<\/p>\n I know, it surprises me too. I used to be nervous about leaving things out, especially expensive pieces. But eventually I thought, \u201cYou can\u2019t live in fear.\u201d If someone steals a flower pot, maybe they needed it more than I did.<\/p>\n Thankfully, we really haven\u2019t had problems.<\/p>\n One of my favorite displays was the dog-themed stoop. How did you get all those dogs to sit still?<\/p>\n Oh, that wasn\u2019t me. There\u2019s a dog walker who\u2019s now become a really good friend. She\u2019s probably the best dog walker I\u2019ve ever seen in my life. She throws birthday parties for the dogs, takes them on the Staten Island Ferry because she thinks they\u2019ll enjoy it \u2014 she\u2019s amazing.<\/p>\n @stoopandthecity<\/a> Walking home to the cutest surprise! \ud83d\udc23\ud83d\udc36\ud83c\udf38\u2728 #dogsoftiktok<\/a> #dogsofnyc<\/a> #springdecor<\/a> #newyorker<\/a> #uppereastside<\/a> \u266c original sound \u2013 Tik Toker<\/a><\/p>\n One day, she organically stopped by with about 20 dogs and put them all on the stoop. We were shocked. Now she sometimes gives me a heads-up before she comes by for dog birthday parties and themed shoots.<\/p>\n I could never make dogs sit still like that. That\u2019s all her.<\/p>\n You\u2019re partnering with Allegra<\/a>. Why did you want to partner with them?<\/p>\n Kristi: I\u2019m a migraine sufferer and have been since middle school. I see a neurologist and take prescribed medication, but what I didn\u2019t realize until a few years ago was that my migraines got significantly worse during allergy seasons.<\/p>\n I always thought allergies just meant sneezing and watery eyes. I didn\u2019t realize they could trigger headaches and migraines, too.<\/p>\n My neurologist recommended taking Allegra daily as a preventative measure, and it made a huge difference for me.<\/p>\n I totally relate to that. Allergies trigger my migraines, too.<\/p>\n Exactly. I was running through rescue medications because the migraines kept happening. Once I understood allergies were contributing, everything made more sense.<\/p>\n My kids also have respiratory issues and asthma on my husband\u2019s side of the family. Allergy season can hit them really hard, especially my youngest and middle child. Sometimes even small colds become serious because their lungs are weaker.<\/p>\n Our pediatrician recommended treating allergies proactively, and it\u2019s helped tremendously. If they can breathe better, they sleep better, and then they heal better.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why the partnership felt really organic to me. It genuinely changed our lives.<\/p>\n What do you have planned this weekend?<\/p>\n I did a giant Mother\u2019s Day-themed stoop in Allegra colors<\/a>, and honestly, I think it\u2019s one of the prettiest ones we\u2019ve ever done.<\/p>\n We\u2019re also doing a Mother\u2019s Day giveaway with a spa day prize that can be used anywhere in the country.<\/p>\n Moms have the hardest job in the world, and hopefully, every mom gets spoiled this weekend.<\/p>\n Raising kids in New York City is such a unique experience. What\u2019s something surprising about raising children here?<\/p>\n Honestly, I think it\u2019s easier to raise kids in New York City.<\/p>\n I know that sounds crazy because it\u2019s expensive, but everything is close. Our school is one block away. Parks are everywhere. You don\u2019t have to load kids into cars constantly. The pediatrician is nearby. The grocery store is nearby.<\/p>\n On rainy days, we\u2019ll take the bus across town to the American Museum of Natural History and spend hours there.<\/p>\n I love that my kids get exposed to so many cultures, foods, museums, and experiences just by living here.<\/p>\n I completely agree. What are some of your favorite things to do with your kids in the city?<\/p>\n Kristi: Honestly, pretty simple things. We go for frozen yogurt way too often in the summer. We spend tons of time in Central Park. My kids love racing the little boats there now.<\/p>\n We\u2019re very \u201c\u201990s parents\u201d in the sense that we love simple neighborhood days \u2014 scooters, parks, blankets on the grass, burgers in the backyard, ice cream after dinner.<\/p>\n That\u2019s our perfect day.<\/p>\n Those really are the moments your kids remember.<\/p>\n Exactly. And we\u2019ve also gotten really lucky with our street. We know everybody. Our neighbors all know our kids. There\u2019s a real sense of community here.<\/p>\n Do you have any fun future plans for Stoop and the City?<\/p>\n Endless ideas. I want to do a summer country club theme with vintage tennis rackets and golf clubs.<\/p>\n Last fall, I created a giant notebook-paper backdrop for back-to-school photos. Families came by for their first-day-of-school pictures.<\/p>\n Halloween is huge for us. Our street actually gets closed off by the police, so it\u2019s safe for trick-or-treating. Last year, we gave out 17,000 pounds of candy.<\/p>\n And this year, we\u2019re planning a Hanukkah-themed stoop, which has been really fun to design because there honestly isn\u2019t a lot of Hanukkah d\u00e9cor out there.<\/p>\n Want to treat a mom in your life \u2014 or yourself \u2014 this Mother\u2019s Day? Kristi has teamed up with Allegra Allergy<\/a> for a special giveaway celebrating all the little moments that make motherhood beautiful. Share your favorite \u201cmom moment to bloom\u201d on Instagram, tag @allegraallergy, and use #AllegraSweepstakes in your caption for a chance to win a $500 SpaFinder gift card. The sweepstakes runs through May 12, 2026.<\/p>\n For official rules and details, visit Allegra Sweepstakes Terms & Conditions<\/a>.<\/p>\n Psst\u2026 Check Out Tamron Hall on Motherhood, Her Son Moses, and the Magic of Harlem<\/a><\/p>\n \t
\nYou started Stoop and the City in response to ugly scaffolding in your neighborhood. Was it something you planned, or did it just happen organically?<\/p>\n![\"Inside](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Allegra-rotated.jpeg\")
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