Inside Pretty Snake in Providence

Pretty Snake owner Joseph Aaron Segal creates the colorful textile and knit clothing sold in his Brook Street store in Providence. Photo by Chad Weeden

If you want to know what the inside of designer Joseph Aaron Segal’s mind looks like, just go into his shop, Pretty Snake. 

Segal opened the store, on Brook Street in Providence, in July 2024. Despite his initial fears of becoming a brick-and-mortar business owner, the desire to take the next step in his designer journey far outweighed the fear of failure. 

“I talked to Elissa Paquette who owns Calico [in New Bedford, Massachusetts] and some of my other business owner friends and asked them, ‘Is this totally stupid?’ I wanted to be aware of everything that went into owning a business because it kind of scared me, to be honest,” says Segal. “Ultimately though, it felt like, ‘What’s the point of doing this if it doesn’t keep growing?’”

Segal started Pretty Snake as an online and pop-up business after receiving a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Rhode Island School of Design. His trademark textile and knit clothing has been worn by “Saturday Night Live” cast member Sarah Sherman, drag queen Suzie Toot and Lauryn Hill, among other celebrities, and he was even a contestant on Season Eleven of “Project Runway” after being scouted by its team. 

The business did so well online that moving it to a physical spot was the obvious next step. After hearing that the owner of the space was thinking of retiring, Segal knew the time was right to take the leap of faith. Opening the shop also gave Segal a home base for all of his creations, ending the struggle of carrying his designs from pop-up to pop-up. 

The interior of Pretty Snake. Courtesy of Joseph Aaron Segal

“I used to make something and it would lie around for a while but now I make something and bring it right here,” he says. “I get to continue my process of creating but now I have that instant feedback from the world through the customers who wander in.”

The windows draw people in using colorful and textured clothing designs, with vintage decor adding an inviting warmth. Inside, the walls are covered with green snake wallpaper — designed and installed by Segal — and the floors are a bright, checkered orange. 

He called in several local artists to help bring his visions to life. Connecticut artist Jaime La Jones painted a light blue mural with dreamy clouds on the ceiling, dubbed “The Portal,” while woodworker Edward Lloyd shaped thrifted white columns into wiggly snakes. Artist Hannah Abelow’s paintings hung on the walls in July, and Segal wants to showcase more artists’ works in the future. 

“This shop is essentially what the inside of my head looks like,” he says. “I really wanted everything to live together so people could see the vision and I really liked the idea of infecting every aspect of a household with my stuff.”

Segal now has employees to help with the shipping and sewing demands, a studio space where his designs are brought to life, and retail assistance for the days when he’s teaching textile design classes at RISD. His goal is to eventually open other locations, ideally in New Orleans, Chicago and Palm Springs, but for now is focused on growing in Little Rhody. 

“The fact that it’s working and I can keep it open is mind-blowing and reassuring,” he says. “The support that local businesses here get is one of the reasons Providence is so special.” prettysnake.com