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Piperlime Turns to Brick and Mortar Location

13 May

For the first time, the e-commerce site owned by San Francisco-based Gap Inc. will be opening an actual brick and mortar location. Piperlime, which until now has only been online, will soon be available at 121 Wooster Street this coming fall. Selling over 500 brands from Citizens of Humanity and Frye to Milly, Piperlime now plans to make its first real shop in SoHo.

As Jennifer Gosselin, senior vice president and general manager of Piperlime, said, “The neighborhood has great foot-traffic and is a shopping destination for our target customer. The character of [SoHo] is also a great fit for our boutique approach.”

While many would assume that Piperlime would have ended up on the Broadway strip, alongside other Bap brands Old Navy and Banana Republic, they chose Wooster Street for its individuality. As Chris Owles, the Sinvin Real Estate broker who helped with the deal said, “The location allows them to differentiate this product from all their others, which are more mainstream. It’s a tight market down here, and this was probably one of the few that really gave them the proper location and the image they require.”

Piperlime joins other online-only retailers who are surfing for brick and mortar space. Amazon is apparently also looking around for space, and eBay and Warby Parker have been toying with the idea as well.

Levi’s® Struts Its Stuff at NY Fashion Week

1 Mar

Anyone who is anyone was at the New York Fashion Week.  And this included the unlikely Levi’s® brand.  They launched their first global collection during the fashion week at SoHo’s Mercer 82 event space.  Levi's® took the opportunity to showcase their Fall/Winter 2012 collection which includes quite a refined look for both men and women.

As Len Peltier, the Global Vice President of Creative Direction said, "Levi's® has always been about embracing the energy and events of our time. Today, fashion is more democratic and accessible than ever, making New York Fashion Week the perfect moment in time for the Levi's® brand to launch our first global collection."

The new collection includes clean lines and a tailored look.  Levi's® is focusing on the Bootcut Skinny denim for women that includes a skinny fit and a sexy appeal.

Check out some of their pictures and more with the recent press release from Levi's®.

Georgetown Cupcake Coming to SoHo

5 Feb

Georgetown Cupcake

Now you CAN have your cupcake and eat it too. SoHo residents will be thrilled to know that Georgetown Cupcake is heading for New York. This Washington fixture, which also has a branch in Maryland, is going to be opening in SoHo on February 11th.

Sigh of relief!

As the store openings, you’ll be able to catch cute cupcakes with all sorts of New York symbols and logos on them. As part of its debut, the Manhattan digs will have cupcakes that sport local images. There will also be some new, yummy flavors that are just for New York including the black-and-white-iced marble cake flavor, the apple-flavor and the cheesecake one.

Start dieting now so that you can blow it all after February 11th! It will be well worth it.

Murray Moss Closing Up SoHo Shop

29 Jan

SoHo is about to be that much poorer, as Moss packs up and moves out. Started in 1994, design curator Murray Moss opened his shop, called Moss, which has since become a hot spot for the likes of Gaetano Pesce, Studio Job and many other design superstars.

This week, Moss bid ado, in an email titled “Moss Metamorphoses 2012.” Together with his business partner and life partner, Franklin Getchell, Moss announced that the flagship store on Greene and Houston will be closed as of February 17th.

As a result of the economic downturn, and with the desire to remain fresh, the two are moving in a new direction. They are walking away from the brick and mortar style of store, and moving into consulting, public speaking and think-tanks hosted from their home. Their new business will be called Moss Bureau – and it’s certainly one worth watching.

Ruia Warehouse Sale Coming Soon

23 Jan

If you love shoes, then you simply won’t want to miss the Ruia Warehouse Sale that will take place from February 10th through 12th. Their sales will include top European shoes like Missoni, Baldan and Loriblu for up to 75% off the regular prices.

Located at 65 Mercer Street between Spring and Broome, Ruia Shoe Boutique was created by Kajal Ruia. Opening the doors in December of 2010, the Ruia Shoe Boutique has managed to capture the attention of the trendiest and most fashion forward names in New York City. The boutique has been featured in New York Magazine, WWD and Manhattan Magazine, to name a few.

With its dazzling décor, its amazing selection and its upstairs lounge with TV and complimentary cocktails, the Ruia Shoe Boutique has it all for the fashion forward women of New York. The handpicked, limited stock also ensures that shoe buyers won’t be spotted around the city with the same shoes as almost anyone else.

Tribeca Film Festival Gets New Artistic Director

5 Dec

The Tribeca Film Festival is getting a new face, as Frederic Boyer is becoming the new artistic director.  Since 2009, Mr. Boyer has been the artistic director and the head of programming for the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes; he has also been the artistic director of Les Arcs European Film Festival, held at the Les Arcs ski resort in France.

As Mr. Boyer discussed during a phone interview with The New York Times,

“What I want to bring to Tribeca are a lot of things: the desire of cinema, the pleasure to share, the generosity, the welcoming of filmmakers and maybe to bring more ideas for next year.”

He continued by explaining, “This is a very creative festival, they have a very open mind, and for them they wanted me maybe to bring some more European connections. I have some contacts they don’t have, they have some contacts I don’t have, and we will join our forces to do something very specific and very unusual. I have a lot to learn from the Tribeca Film Festival.”

This festival was started in 2002 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff. The 11th annual program will take place in New York from April 18 to 29.

Black Friday Madness Hits SoHo

28 Nov

Black Friday has definitely gotten out of control – or perhaps is always has been.  On Friday, the Hollister clothing chain’s New York flagship store in SoHo didn’t seem to open fast enough for those waiting outside.  As a result, the crowd chose to crash through the doors, looting the place.

Some of the crowd has been waiting outside since midnight, thinking it opened at that out.  By 1:15 they had apparently had enough and they broke into the store and snatched up whatever they could find. The store had not actually been slated to open until 10 a.m.

As bystander Akeem Bridgeman explained, “There were a couple employees there [stocking shelves], and they were shouting at people, `Stop! You’re breaking and entering and breaking the law!’ But the people looting just ignored them.”

Unfortunately, this was only one of a number of crazy incidents that occurred around Black Friday.  People will, apparently, do anything these days for a deal.

Eyes on New Chris Burch SoHo Store

24 Oct

If you’re in the market for high end clothing and other luxury items, pay attention to the new SoHo enterprise opening this week by Chris Burch. A venture capitalist, entrepreneur and ex-husband of designer Tory Burch, Burch is now unveiling the new store, C. Wonder.

The “C” stands for “charming, chic and cheerful” and the store intends to offer customers casual women’s clothing and bright, moderately prices home-décor products.  As Burch explained, “we have color, we have fun, we have incredible technology but we are actually offering extraordinary pricing.”

Burch has a tough road ahead, as consumer confidence has slumped this month to its lowest level since the recession began.  New home sales have continued to decline, making the home-décor product line difficult to sell.  Burch, however says that, “No matter what happens in the economy, the consumer is hungry to buy something that’s exciting.”

His SoHo store was actually constructed near Shanghai. He tested it there and then had the store disassembled and shipped to New York.  The store includes fitting rooms that have small touch screens so that customers can change the music and lighting as they try on clothes.  All of the sales people will have Apple Inc iPod Touches at their disposal to give customers information about the clothing they are trying on.

Assuming all goes well in SoHo, three more C. Wonder stores are set to open this year in Westchester, Garden State Plaza and Roosevelt Field malls.

Paypal Pop-Up Coming to Tribeca Neighborhood

9 Oct

If you’re an online business owner in the New York area, you may want to pop into the new pop-up Paypal store after November 1.  Situated in the Tribeca neighborhood, the Paypal pop-up is supposed to help merchants to see hands-on demonstrations of the latest online payment technologies.

Those who are interested will be able to pop into the store to see product demos that could improve their business payment methods.  Paypal, in addition to their many services, as planning to launch a way for in-store owners to use an online system for mobile checkouts. This will ensure that business owners aren’t held hostage by their cash register.

Check it out in the Tribeca neighborhood after November 1!

 

Friends In Deed Getting Help from Stephen Sondheim

2 Oct

If you’re lucky enough to be at the gala benefit tomorrow at the American Museum of Natural History, you’ll be in for a great treat.  Stephen Sondheim, a famous songwriter, will be created his first ever treasure hunt at the event.  The evening is in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Friends In Deed, a nonprofit crisis center that is based in SoHo and that offers emotional and spiritual support for people who are diagnosed with life-threatening physical illnesses.

Several hundred guests will splint into teams during the evening and will then follow Sodheim’s clues as they run through the museum’s halls.

Once the winners have been crowned, Sondheim and Barbara Cook will sing for the guests as part of a sit-down dinner in the museum’s planetarium.  Those who have signed up already to attend include Bravo’s Andy Cohen, director-writer Nora Ephron and news anchor Diane Sawyer.

The event, called “A Little Jurassic Treasure Hunt” is being hosted by Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick.  Friends In Deed was co-founded in 1991 by film director and producer Mike Nichols and actress Cynthia O’Neal.  It works with critically ill patients and their families, friends and caregivers.

Certainly, Friends in Deed hopes that the event will be a great success, both to entertain guests, and to raise money for its worth cause.

 

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