Few sample sales compare to the absolute madness of today's Paul Smith sample sale in Soho. When the doors opened this morning at 11am, hundreds poured into the space to dig through mounds of discounted merchandise. Per our previous report, the majority of the attendees were well-dressed men and a few fashionable females (think air kisses and expensive bomber jackets).
Before the weekend begins, check out a quick rundown of the top six Racked stories of the past five days.
1) Chelsea: Two weeks after the Barneys Warehouse Sale began, shoppers still weren't touching the Kate Moss for Topshop racks.
2) Upper West Side: The UWS's loss of the Victoria's Secret at 67th and Broadway means it's almost Apple Store time.
3) Upper East Side: Sweets destination Dylan's Candy Bar got signage. And then, their third floor was revealed! Insanity.
4) Chinatown: The always-bustling Counterfeit Triangle was raided by police. The scene the day after the po showed up was eerily quiet.
5) National: Starbucks decided to close up shop early for barista training. Next day, the staffers at the Broadway store in Soho were kicking out homeless squatters like nobody's business.
6) Soho: The Kidrobot Pirate Store, their outlet space of sorts, opened. There were Gorillaz and hoodies, but no Munnys or Dunnys.
SOHO—A Racked source checks in to explain why the Hickey store at 96 Grand Street is still closed, almost two months after some 'ceiling malfunctions' forced it to shutter temporarily. The sad story: "The contractors said that they will probably be closed another 3-4 weeks due to the extensive water damage from one of the apartments above the store. It seems a pipe burst on the top floor of the 120 year old building and no body could get it to shut off. He said nearly all of the merchandise in the store was destroyed in the 'flood'. That's it. Nothing too crazy. I just didn't think it was going to take so long to get the store open—but I guess the damage was severe. " Brutal. Just brutal. [RackedWire Inbox]
CHELSEA—The Barneys Warehouse Sale, our home away from home, is ending this weekend. Reports indicate that the discounts have risen to 75% off, which means this lady is not going to go quietly into the night. [RackedWire]
NATIONAL—This Sunday will see the debut of Milla "Resident Evil" Jovovich's and Carmen Hawk's Jovovich-Hawk collection for Target. As these things never really roll out perfectly, there's already been sightings of the clothing at a few stores, but a Target website search doesn't turn up any JH results yet. [RackedWire]
You really have to hand it to the Barneys marketing team—the warehouse sale has been solidly busy for almost two weeks now. A Racked staffer reports that the scene was really hopping this weekend and that the men's floor may have been more crowded than the woman's. Sadly, despite massive price cuts, no one is going near the Kate Moss for Topshop racks.
· All Barneys Warehouse Sale Coverage [Racked]
If you're interested in how the shoe section of the Barneys Warehouse Sale is looking after a week of pillaging, one blogger went yesterday and took photos of the scene. Click through for the good, the bad, and the ehhh. [Call Me on the Yacht]
From an email sent in to the Racked Inbox last night: "Was at the Barneys sale today and was told by an employee that first markdowns on shoes, etc. happen tomorrow. Which is about time because—regardless of what they say about putting new stuff out every day—that shoe section is majorly picked over. Unless you're a size 5 or 11." [RackedWire Inbox]
Lest you think we've abandoned the Barneys Warehouse Sale after just one day, you are very wrong. We swung back to the sale on West 18th Street around 8pm last night to survey the after-work shopping scene, and we can verify that it was still a shitstorm. The shoe aisles were packed, and it was tight quarters in the denim and tops area. Despite the crowds rummaging through boxes and trying on clothes in corners, the lines were moving quickly. A Barneys sale attendant confirmed that the busiest times yesterday were morning and lunchtime (around 1:30-2:30pm); she also told us that Barneys is constantly replenishing. Ultimately, we think it makes the most sense to visit later on in the sale, when the crowds have thinned, the clothes are not strewn all over the floor, and the prices have dropped further.
· Live at Barneys Warehouse Sale: Don't Forget Housewares [Racked]
· Live at Barneys Warehouse Sale: Mastering It [Racked]
· Live at Barneys Warehouse Sale: Men's Basement! [Racked]
· Live at Barneys Warehouse Sale: Smooth Sailing [Racked]
· Live at Barneys Warehouse Sale: Pushing, Grabbing, Shoving [Racked]
· Live at Barneys Warehouse Sale: We're In! [Racked]
Before the weekend begins, here's a quick rundown of the top ten Racked stories of the past five days.
1) In Midtown: Luxury brand Gucci opened a new flagship, then adopted the I [Heart] NY slogan for their own line of limited-edition merchandise, without clearing the usage with the city. Ooops.
2) In Jack Heights: Jackson Heights finally got a Starbucks to call its own.
3) In Park Slope: Boutique Oak ditched the clothing at their President Street outpost for a ton of shoes.
A shopper sussing things out
The calmest corner of the Barneys Warehouse Sale? That would be the small-but-decent housewares section, which can be found in the basement adjacent to the men's sportswear area. It's a good place to head if you're in search of a new serving platter...or just a moment of peace and quiet.
· Live at Barneys Warehouse Sale: Mastering It [Racked]
· Live at Barneys Warehouse Sale: Men's Basement! [Racked]
· Live at Barneys Warehouse Sale: Smooth Sailing [Racked]
· Live at Barneys Warehouse Sale: Pushing, Grabbing, Shoving [Racked]
· Live at Barneys Warehouse Sale: We're In! [Racked]
Cold, impatient line waiters outside Barneys Co-op this morning
A Racked reader has some sage advice for Barneys Warehouse Sale shoppers:
Hey. I used to work in an office in the Barney's Co-op building (the building actually takes up a good portion of the block, and Barney's owns the whole thing) and I have a potential tip for mastering the warehouse sale. The head of maintenance for the building once told me that Barney's replenishes inventory throughout the sale, even until the last days, and it's not necessarily the case that the best stuff goes out first. He would recommend waiting a couple of days into the sale, definitely on a weekday, and getting there around 10:30-11am. I never took him up on the advice, since at the time I was on too tight of a budget for even the warehouse sale. Luckily, I left that job for a better-paying one and I will be heading over to the sale Monday morning for sure.Hm. Would daily AM Barneys Warehouse Sale reports be overdoing it?
It's Valentine's Day, sure, but today's also the opening day at the Barneys Warehouse Sale, kicking off this morning at the Barneys Co-op in Chelsea. Racked is on the scene all morning to cover the madness. Strap in.
At a leisurely, quasi-metrosexual pace, our men's correspondent strolled into the opening morning of the Barneys Warehouse Sale just before 10am, missing the line. His report: "Pretty much business as usual in the basement, for anyone who's ever done the men's warehouse basement before. Aisles empty in places, mildly crowded in others. Most excitement around the suits, with lots of guys who wear starched blue shirts to work trying on jackets. Brands spotted on quick inspection: John Bartlett, Hugo by Hugo Boss, Hickey Freeman ($1399 down to $599), Burberry, and Michael Kors ($995 down to $495). Good outerwear selection; the usual shitshow in the menswear bins (including sweaters in colors that I did not know existed); decent footwear selection. I ended up snagging a simple, clean pair of house-brand black shoes for $69, marked down from $325. All in all, not bad."
· Live at Barneys Warehouse Sale: Smooth Sailing [Racked]
· Live at Barneys Warehouse Sale: Pushing, Grabbing, Shoving [Racked]
· Live at Barneys Warehouse Sale: We're In! [Racked]
· Live at Barneys Warehouse Sale: What's My Line? [Racked]
The scene outside the Barneys Warehouse Sale at 9:30am
Check it out: no line. As for the scene inside, well, it's not quite as serene.
· Live at Barneys Warehouse Sale: Pushing, Grabbing, Shoving [Racked]
· Live at Barneys Warehouse Sale: We're In! [Racked]
· Live at Barneys Warehouse Sale: What's My Line? [Racked]
It's Valentine's Day, sure, but today's also the opening day at the Barneys Warehouse Sale, kicking off this morning at the Barneys Co-op in Chelsea. Racked is on the scene all morning to cover the madness. Strap in.
It's been a full hour since the first dedicated shoppers, fingers and toes numb from the extreme cold, trickled into the Barneys Warehouse Sale. At present, the sale is a madhouse. We've reached code red. The relative calm of the first 30 minutes has been replaced by pulling, shoving, grabbing and stripping. Dazed-looking security guards are milling about, not doing much to help or hinder.
Hilariously, there are racks and racks of Kate Moss for Topshop merchandise. No one is even going near it. Where was all that stuff when people actually wanted it?? Aside from that, there's a lot of great clothing to be found on the racks; on our quick run through we spotted some very cute Rag & Bone vests, 3.1 Phillip Lim dresses and jackets and just so. much. more. worth emptying your bank account for.
A warning: as always, the bag-check situation is perilous, so if you go now don't bring much more with you than a wallet. There's a big sign saying they're not responsible for checked belongings worth more than $50, which doesn't even cover the cost of a nice handbag.
· Live at Barneys Warehouse Sale: We're In! [Racked]
· Live at Barneys Warehouse Sale: What's My Line? [Racked]
It's Valentine's Day, sure, but today's also the opening day at the Barneys Warehouse Sale, kicking off this morning at the Barney's Co-op in Chelsea. Racked is on the scene all morning to cover the madness. Strap in.
8:07am: Continuing reports from our correspondent on the scene: "Following half an hour in line in the freezing cold, we're in the vestibule, and they're telling us that we have to check everything, coats and bags. There are probably about 50 people already in there, digging in."
8:08am: "Wait, this is bullshit—they just pushed us out of the vestibule back onto the sidewalk. There's a Barneys guy shouting: 'No matter how cold it is, you're going to stand out here.' Now he's trying to clear sidewalk space. People are not happy."
8:11am: "Finally in. Quick merch report: tons of denim, racks are packed really full. It's quiet, actually, super-quiet, no punching or kicking yet. It's pretty low key, at least compared to last August. Everyone's getting a plastic bag to put their stuff in, which they didn't do last time, so there isn't clothing covering the floor. Again, yet. Here's the best news: they're only letting people in 25 at a time, which actually makes for a non-insane shopping experience. I figure it'll get insane in about 20 minutes. To the racks!"
8:20am: "It's starting to get really insane. People are just all over the place now. They have a lot of good stuff—I saw some really cute Rodnik offerings, Philip Lim, Alexander Wang (which they have a lot of—exciting!), a lot of coats, and the dress section is totally excellent. Ah, here's some Wayne. And a lot of Co-Op junk of course. Oh, and get this—they have some of the Kate Moss for Topshop stuff that no one is touching. Hilarious."
8:31am: "It's all happening. The crazies have arrived in full force. People are still coming in from the line, and it's at the point where people are stripping down and trying on whatever catches their eye. It's a frenzy right now, for good reason—they have some really nice stuff."
8:45am: We're about to roll out full photogalleries of the women's racks while we wait for our men's correspondent to tackle that universe of hell. Stay tuned.
It's Valentine's Day, sure, but today's also the opening day at the Barneys Warehouse Sale, kicking off this morning at the Barneys Co-op in Chelsea. Racked is on the scene all morning to cover the madness. Strap in.
7:30am: From our correspondent on the scene: "Just got here. The line looks to be about 100 people long. It's a decent size, but nothing like the line at this point during the last Barneys Warehouse Sale in August '07."
7:42am: "People in line look cold. You can see your breath—supposedly, it's about 30 degrees out. The mood is chill, not super-hyped. Everyone's either got Starbucks, or is making trips around the corner to get Starbucks."
7:48am: "The line has grown by about 70 people since I got here. The crowd is mostly female, but it might be as much as a quarter male, which is impressive—probably because they do have a decent selection of men's stuff. There's an older gentleman behind me who's in his 60's—pretty cool."
7:55am: "The line has now officially doubled in size since 7:30am. I feel bad for the people at the front who've probably been here at least three hours—we're on the non-sunny side of the street, under scaffolding. All this just to make a grab for the good sizes and the stuff that isn't weird. Five minutes until doors!"
8:03am: "They're not letting us in yet. People are restless. Oh wait—we're moving!"
8:05am: "They stopped the line. We're right outside. Waiting again. Ugh."
Label: Barneys
Deal: 50 to 75% off clothing, shoes, accessories and housewares
When/Where: Thursday, February 15th through Sunday, March 2nd. Mon—Fri 10am—9pm; Sat, Sun 10am—7pm. 255 W 17th St between Seventh and Eighth Aves (212-450-8400).
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