We see London! We see France! We see that Catriona Mackechnie's underpants have left the Meatpacking District. With nothing so telling as a deep discount sale on even deeper cut teddies, this haute lingerie boutique at 400 West 14th Street, across from the Apple Store and the Moschino and Hugo Boss construction, has packed up its frilly underthings for good. No more peeping through the window's faux vertical blinds, sigh.
According to a simple note on the door, they have relocated to their online store. But based on the difficult spelling of the name (we wrongly Googled "catriona mackensie" and got some ethical philosopher), we doubt that the online business will be any more successful than the MePa shop, which always looked deserted save for a few of these carefully placed around. Sorry to all those desperately seeking a $400 corset; you'll just have to trek across the street to shop at La Perla.
Even though Soho's highly profitable summer of retail is just beginning, some stores are just not feeling the love from tourist dollars in time. Case in point: Soho Lab. Don't let the cheery "Now Closing!" sign on the window fool you; the interior is pretty bleak with half the store sold out and the detritus priced down to 50% off. This isn't the end of the brand, just their Soho location—and the beginning of explanations of their name that begin, "Soho isn't just a neighborhood, but a state of mind, dude..." You can still find Soho Lab shoes at existing Skechers stores, but call to the store revealed no plans for relocation.
· Soho Lab [Official Site]
Is Kimora's Life in the Fab Lane taking a detour? The Phat Farm and Baby Phat Flagship at 129 Prince St between Wooster and West Broadway has closed, with no indication of relocation yet. The inside is barren save for a few leftover leather banquettes, which the staff clearing out the place will surely remove by the end of the week. To see the store back in its glory days of late last year, there is one whole episode of Kimora's E! reality show featuring this space as it gets feng shiu-ed out for Kimora's Hello Kitty jewelry launch. Betting that this store probably didn't have enough room for Kimora's KLS Collection and Russell's new Argyle Culture line, we're predicting a return of Baby Phat.
· Sellebrity: Kimora Lee Simmons for JC Penney [Racked LA]
Remember not so long ago when Barnes & Noble Astor Place closed and the Chelsea location quickly followed? Well, now both of its two Upper East Side locations will be closing as well, but only to make room for a completely new one at East 86th Street and Lexington Avenue. Although it seems like the bookstores of Manhattan are disappearing, the truth is that they are just going into hiding. As rents rise and sales stagnate, book retailers are moving from the main floor and taking it to another level. The newly opened Tribeca Barnes & Noble went upstairs; the soon-to-open Union Square Idlewild books will go upstairs; and next year's Upper West Side Barnes & Noble will head downstairs. It looks as though there is an end to the trend however, as Borders just signed into a huge main space at the under-construction 795 Columbus Avenue.
· Bookstores Move to the Basement [TRD]
· Storecasting: Barton Ready to Buff Up Astor Place [Racked]
· Discontinued: Last Hurrah at Chelsea B&N [Racked]
· Now Open: Tribeca's Bed Bath & Beyond and Barnes & Noble [Racked]
The times they are a-changing: noted 24-hour sex shop Red Light District is packing up and moving from its current spot at 597 6th Ave, across the street from Old Navy, to a new location at 8th Avenue and 21st Street. Looks like the move is happening soon, as yesterday began a clearance of 50% off everything. No news as to who will snatch up Red Light District's 6th Avenue spot, but hurry and get your leather whips and briefs with "Attitude" on the bum now, before more than just the prices rise again.
It's looking bleak for the Scoop stores on Washington Street in the Meatpacking District. Two weeks ago, the shops suffered a plumbing disaster: pipes burst and the Men's and Street Scoops at the corner of Gansevoort were flooded. Thankfully, the Women's and Kid's Scoops a couple of doors down remain open. (Can you imagine if they were all shuttered? Horrors.) Scoop associates say that the Men's and Street stores are renovating and should reopen sometime within the next month. In the meantime, if you're just dying for Scoop men's clothing, you can head to the women's outpost down the block or you could visit the other outdoor New York shopping mall that is Soho: Scoop has menswear at their boutique on 473 Broadway between Broome and Grand Streets.
· Flood Warning [Racked]
· Scoop NYC [Official Website]
Alert: Something, or someone, is killing corner groceries in the lower parts of East Village. Before you step out for a pack of cigarettes or toilet paper, take a moment to survey the damage clustered around East 3rd and 4th Streets:
1) "20/20" Grocery and Deli: This little deli, at 53 Second Avenue and East 3rd Street, has always been a nasty one, with sordid types lingering out front and an even sadder assortment of food and sundries inside. All that could be changing, though. The store has been cleared out entirely, and a permit states that it's undergoing refurbishment and the installment of new air conditioning and cooking equipment. Possible destination for roast beef sandwiches is in the works, people...
2) Betances Grocery: Betances, at 73 East 4th Street between Bowery and Second Ave, was a popular Spanish deli for years, but, like Centricity Vintage a few storefronts away, it's been permanently shuttered because of high rent increases. The place was a little scrappy—think stale red Swedish Fish in counter top bins—but it was a default for locals anyway. A sign in the gated windows reads that the space is available for rent.
Caravan, who first captured the hearts of many a trend-story-penning journalist with their boutique in a Winnebago, will soon be closing their downtown store at 2 Great Jones Street between Broadway and Lafayette. Based in a former smoothie and wrap cafe, the Noho shop launched in June 2005. The foot traffic on this side street is hit or miss, though, so the Caravan folks have decided to close their downtown space and consolidate at their uptown location on 128 East 91st Street, a previously appointment-only outpost which will now be open to the public.
Caravan will be having a store closing sale this Friday and Saturday, with 50-90% off everything in store, including the furniture. The women's section is pretty picked over, but there are still a few great finds in the menswear racks, with button downs, denim, sweaters, and belts from brands like J.Lindeberg and Scotch and Soda. Get there before they pack it all up and the Caravan heads north.
· Caravan [Official Site]
The passing of the Victoria's Secret store at 67th and Broadway means only one thing—we are a teeny, tiny bit closer to the opening of another Apple Store. Yes, soon every stroller-pushing, brownstone-residing resident north of the Park will have easy access to Genius Bar services. As was first reported back in December, Jobs has, with a nod of his head, blessed UWS with an Apple outpost. It remains to be seen if he'll demolish the current structure (which is totally boring, btw) for a glassy box, but it'd be nice if he whipped up something totally new and crazy to spice up the neighborhood. We're thinking some sort of spire.
· It's All Happening: Apple To UWS Rumor Valid [Racked]
· Rumormongering: Apple Landing on the UWS? [Racked]
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The times they are a-changing: noted 24-hour sex shop Red Light District is packing up and moving from its current spot at 597 6th Ave, across the street from Old Navy, to a new location at 8th Avenue and 21st Street. Looks like the move is happening soon, as yesterday began a clearance of 50% off everything. No news as to who will snatch up Red Light District's 6th Avenue spot, but hurry and get your leather whips and briefs with "Attitude" on the bum now, before more than just the prices rise again.
1) "20/20" Grocery and Deli: This little deli, at 53 Second Avenue and East 3rd Street, has always been a nasty one, with sordid types lingering out front and an even sadder assortment of food and sundries inside. All that could be changing, though. The store has been cleared out entirely, and a permit states that it's undergoing refurbishment and the installment of new air conditioning and cooking equipment. Possible destination for roast beef sandwiches is in the works, people...
2) Betances Grocery: Betances, at 73 East 4th Street between Bowery and Second Ave, was a popular Spanish deli for years, but, like 
The passing of the Victoria's Secret store at 67th and Broadway means only one thing—we are a teeny, tiny bit closer to the opening of another Apple Store. Yes, soon every stroller-pushing, brownstone-residing resident north of the Park will have easy access to Genius Bar services. As was first 
