BROOKLYN ARTIST CELEBRATING JOY, MEMORY AND PLACE
meet The Artist
Hi, I’m Lola Star- a Brooklyn-based artist and designer documenting the emotion & life of New York neighborhoods.
New York is My Happy Place began as a personal art practice and grew into a citywide project celebrating the places that shape who we are- block by block, borough by borough.
from coney island to everywhere
For more than 21 years, I owned and operated a shop on the Coney Island boardwalk, where my hand-designed apparel became part of everyday neighborhood life. Guests became like family after visited year after year. Kids grew up in it. Visitors took it home as a piece of the magic they had experienced in Coney Island.
When I lost the lease on my store, it was devastating. But it also market a turning point.
Instead of quitting, I expanded the work- bringing the same care, humor, and lived in love to neighborhoods across New York.
OUR MISSION
new york is my happy place
New York is my Happy Place is an ongoing art and storytelling project rooted in neighborhood identity, local memory, and joy as a form of resilience.
Everything is designed by me and hand printed in Brooklyn, with deep respect for the communities and “happy places” that inspire it.
This work isn’t about trends or tourism. It’s about belonging.
the heart and soul of
why i make art
Through designing, writing and painting, my work documents the small meaningful moments that create a sense of place, belonging, community and joy.
I think of it as preserving emotional geography: How places feel, not just how they’re mapped.
inspired by New york
I am deeply inspired by New York, and this project is grounded in long-term, real-world presence. I try to capture the essence of each city, town, borough and neighborhood. I stay. I notice. I listen.
This site is part archive, part studio, part love letter to New York- and open invitation to remember why place still matters.
