MIDTOWN EAST—A dedicated shopper sends word of one Gap to avoid if you're looking to purchase the retailer's new Whitney Biennial t-shirt collection. "Gap at 42nd/3rd has a pathetic selection. They only have 5 of the 13 styles at this store. The Chuck Close one is nice though; it's velvety instead of screenprinted." The shirts are also available online. [RackedWire]
PARK SLOPE—Babeland, one of the city's finest sex shops, will be opening the doors to their Slope outpost very, very soon. From a top-level informant: "Babeland Brooklyn is opening June 3rd at 462 Bergen Street between Flatbush and 5th avenue in Park Slope." Stock up on batteries now. [RackedWire]
CARROLL GARDENS—New Smith Street boutique Epauletopened just a few weeks ago with a Walter pop-up, but they'll be switching to a new designer within the month. The store's next guest will be Christopher Deane, whose clothes will be available from June 13th through July 13th. [RackedWire]
Soho: A few weeks ago, Fashion Week Daily reported that crystal company Swarovski was headed to Broadway, where the sparkly brand plans to open something called a Swarovski Crystallized Cosmos and Lounge store. Translation: "The concept will not be a retail outlet for the brand's crystal figurines, accessories, and other consumer products. Instead, it will serve as a creative space where shoppers, designers, and magpies alike will browse and buy crystallized components and beads in thousands of colors." No address was given, but via Racked sources we've ascertained that the address for the "creative space" will be 499 Broadway, which recently hosted decor shop SoHome. Great news for apartment dwellers who need more blingy bric-a-brac.
· The SoHo Glam [FWD]
Furniture and housewares company Design Within Reach has found a new use for their Soho showroom at 142 Wooster Street. Racked LA reports that DWR will be opening a store dedicated to its 'Tools for Living' line (desk sets, travel items, cookware, etc) in the Wooster space. The revamp will take place in September.
The ginormous Muji that Midtown's been waiting on for over a year is very, very close to opening. According to a tipster, the Japanese chain's second US store and its New York flagship, located inside the new New York Times building on Eighth Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets, will be up and running before the end of May. The report: "MUJI opening end-May. Salesperson at Muji downtown told me firmly today. No official word yet. At the store: lots of long-sleeved t's and more wintry items at 70% off." Let's hope there's more furniture and less apparel than the Soho location.
Hell's Kitchen: The moment we've been waiting for since November is nigh: American Apparel is thisclose to opening their store on Ninth Avenue between 43rd and 44th Streets. Racked photo guy Will Femia was lucky enough to drop by while they had the door open the other day, and from what he's relayed we're only a few shipments of primary-colored cotton tees and hoodies away from a fully functioning branch here. Hell's Kitchen is really coming along, isn't it?
Midtown East: Commuters should be happy to hear that the bean-minded folks over at Joe the Art of Coffee have picked a date for the debut of their new Grand Central shop. In exactly two weeks' time, on May 28th, the Graybar Passage (map) will be the go-to spot for artisanal espresso drinks, superlative drip coffee and Sullivan Street Bakery pastries. It's about time.
· Morning Java: Joe Perking Up Grand Central [Racked]
Fairway's expanding...to Westchester. The supermarket "is opening its sixth and largest store in Pelham Manor, just over the Bronx border in Westchester County" in 2010. [Crain's]
The rendering above shows what 345 Adams, a government-owned building that's fallen into disrepair of late, could look like after Muss Development has its way with the first two floors of the historic structure. Why is this important? Well, because this space is now being shopped around to big name retailers like Apple, Brooks Brothers, Uniqlo and H&M. That's not to say that those companies have signed (or will sign) leases, of course. Reports The Brooklyn Eagle:
Regarding Apple taking the corner space at Willoughby Street, [broker Robert] Greenstone said, “It’s so right for them it’s not funny.” And he ticked off a half dozen reasons why—from the building’s location across from Borough Hall to its proximity to seven colleges and universities, the area’s four brownstone neighborhoods, the 14 subway lines nearby, the Marriott’s 1,100-car parking garage, not to mention the prominence of the space at a prime corner and the elegance of its interiors. “It’s magical and one of the few spaces anywhere in Brooklyn that has the ability to draw the kind of buyer that Apple wants,” he said.
It's official: the grocery chain to end all grocery chains, Whole Foods, will be opening the doors to its Tribeca store at 101 Warren Street July 9th. That means there's less than two months to go until cashiers start ringing at NYC's second-largest Whole Foods yet (second only to Bowery). The 69,000-square-foot location will feature a fromegerie and dining area on a mezzanine level; we're still waiting for more juicy details to leak. As you can see from the gallery above, things are really coming together down on Greenwich and Murray. We have signage!
· Ready Yourself for Tribeca Whole Foods [Racked]
· Now Open: Tribeca's Bed Bath & Beyond and Barnes & Noble [Racked]
· Tribeca Whole Foods, The Grocery Store The Press Forgot [Racked]
Attention, Ikea fans: Racked is looking for one dedicated shopper to camp out in anticipation of the chain's Red Hook store opening. You must be able to arrive at 1 Beard Street on June 16th by 9am, be available to wait in line 'til the store opens the morning of the 18th (this includes having the camping gear needed to survive), and be ready for your 15 Minutes; you will also be expected to file periodic reports from the scene. The reward for such a Herculean task: fame, Ikea hand outs and a grand prize from Racked.com. If you think you have what it takes, drop us a line.
A True Religion boutique coming to Broadway and 17th Street; photo via TresspassersWill
True Religion is gearing up for an all-out Manhattan invasion. The premium denim company, with their trademark horseshoe-bedecked back pockets, is bombing the city with three new stores, all opening within the next two months.
First will come their Upper East Side boutique, at 1122 Third Avenue between 65th and 66th Streets, which should throw open its doors next week. In June, the brand will land in the Time Warner Center. And then in July, just when you think it's safe to come out from hiding, Union Square will get their own denim hub at 863 Broadway and 17th Street. Brooklyn, you're safe...for now.
· True Religion [Official Site]
· We Don't Want Your Religion [Racked]
Brooks Brothers is planning to open a boutique for its Black Fleece collection, a collaboration with hot menswear designer Thom Browne, in the West Village. "Just a day after passing along his Friends & Family discount, our favorite salesperson had too much champagne and instead of spilling his wine he leaked the news Brooks Brothers is opening their first standalone Black Fleece boutique later this year—as was hinted at in DNR last fall—bringing Thom Browne's next collection to Bleecker Street and continuing to develop the neighborhood as a testing ground for designer concept shops." The projected opening date and the address of the store are currently unknown. [The Life Vicarious]
A Steve Madden store will open in the Meatpacking District space currently occupied by the Hog Pit. The rumor was that Ralph Lauren was interested in the storefront, but WWD confirms that the next tenant will be the cheap shoe chain. "As for Steve, which will take over The Hog Pit after it closes on Jan. 19, [Hog Pit co-owner Felisa] Dell said, "I'm actually kind of happy. Everything around here is so chi-chi." [WWD; Racked]
It's no wonder Crocs continues to delay work on their rotting Spring Street space; they've gone and invested everything into the development of Crocs high heels. Launched last month to the delight of coupon-clippers everywhere, the $49.99 3" heels are available in six colors and made of the same plastic as the Crocs clogs.
Earlier, we gave you a glimpse of New York City's first Ikea as it looks a little over a month from opening day. Now, let's dive right into the meat and potatoes. When we visited the store back in March, it was still a construction zone inside. Today, much of the furniture has arrived and been unloaded. On the second floor of the store (the showroom level), Ikea decorators are deciding how to arrange furniture and accessorize each of the model rooms that customers walk through on their shopping trips.
These vignettes aren't cookie-cutter, meaning the Brooklyn store will look much different inside than Paramus or Elizabethtown. Each room has a binder filled with information—what type of people the decorators envision living there, what their other rooms would look like, what the area would be used for—that help define the appearance of the space. There are 50 of these room settings at Ikea Red Hook, and three different model home interiors.
· Progress Report: Hook Ikea Preps for June Reveal [Racked]
· All Racked Red Hook Ikea Coverage [Racked]
In late March, team Racked and team Curbed ventured to Red Hook to take a hard-hat tour of the 346,000-square-foot Ikea store at 1 Beard Street. Since then, work has been humming along as the staff readies for the June 18 opening. With a month or so to go until the full reveal, we headed back for another look at the blue and yellow housewares mecca.
Progress has clearly been made: outside the store, most of the trees and grass are in place, benches are scattered about the waterfront and lighting is set up. Inside, hundreds of staffers are unpacking merchandise and setting up room displays. We'll be bringing you coverage from inside and outside the store throughout the day, so settle in—it's going to be quite a ride.
· All Racked Ikea Red Hook coverage [Racked]
The Lower East Side is getting a premium cycling shop, in the form of Chari & Co., opening this Sunday at 175 Stanton Street. Notes blogger Razor Apple: "Interestingly, that’s about eight blocks from Trackstar, New York City’s first shop dedicated to fixed gear bikes and until now, Manhattan’s only. As of now, the shop is empty and the website has just two frames for sale, so we’ll have to wait and see what they offer on Sunday." [Razor Apple]
Soho: If you haven't taken a stroll down Broadway recently, may we direct your attention to the above photo. This is what the Topshopsite at no. 478 looks like now. A Racked correspondent, who sent in the image, writes: "Not sure if you've run this already or not, but man, that new facade at TopShop site is really something." Given that the store isn't opening 'til October 10th, Soho's going to be stuck with that big yellow wall for some time.
· RackedWire: Topshop Sets a Date, Cartoons Cover Uniqlo [Racked]
· First Look: Inside Topshop Soho [Racked]
· Workers Now Toiling Away on Topshop Soho [Racked]
The 2008 Beach season is fast-approaching, friends. So now, let's turn our gaze to a retail development in the magical land known as the Hamptons.
Vintage treasure-trove Screaming Mimi's is getting ready to open the doors to their seasonal Hamptons shop at 662 Montauk Highway. The store will debut Memorial Day weekend with a special treat: a reissue of three nautically-themed pieces from Opening Ceremony's first collection. Opening Ceremony for Screaming Mimi’s will include two unisex cotton hoodies (white and navy) for $125, and a pair of women's seersucker shorts with rope trim for $120. Only the best for Hamptons-bound vintage aficionados.
· Screaming Mimi's [Official Site]
Shoe retailer Aldo is planning two more NYC stores. "The Montreal-based company just signed a 15-year lease for 10,500 square feet at 470 Broadway, between Grand and Broome streets. It will be Aldo’s biggest store in the city and its second SoHo location...Aldo also signed a 15-year lease for 3,500 square feet at 1125 Third Ave., between East 65th and East 66th streets...Both new Aldo stores are scheduled to open this summer, for a total of 12 in the city." [Crain's]
BOWERY—The Rogan store going in to the old Bouwerie Lane Theater at 330 Bowery is thisclose to opening. Reports a reader: "Rogan sign up at new store. Very subtle, it is the original Bowery Lane Theater sign, but the 'R's on the sign are now the signature Rogan shape 'R'." [RackedWire Inbox]
HUDSON SQUARE—Fancy-pants boutique Aloha Rag is finally getting around to throwing a grand opening party. The event is scheduled for tomorrow night from 6 to 9pm; drop by for "drinks, music and fun!" [Aloha Rag Staff Blog]
Red Hook denizens: your world is about to be turned upside-down. The staff of the enormous Ikea at 1 Beard Street is expecting quite a crowd for the store's opening, and is rising to the occasion by encouraging customers to camp out in front of the furniture warehouse in anticipation of the store's grand unveiling. This begs the question: Are we going to have an iPhone situation on our hands come mid-June? Here's the message they have up on their website: "Customers can begin lining up at IKEA Brooklyn at 9:00 AM on Monday morning, June 16, 2008—in advance of our June 18, 2008 opening. We are going to be doing something special for everyone on opening morning so you do not have to be the first, second, or third customer in line in order to share in the fun." So, feel free to crash the party as late as you wish. Perhaps that "something special" will include cups of the Kool Aid the event planning staff's been drinking. Hopefully, they'll also provide some tents, sleeping bags and blue-and-yellow pjs.
· Ikea Brooklyn [Ikea via Amy Langfield]
· All Racked Red Hook Ikea Coverage [Racked]
It's been common knowledge for months now that an outpost of the swanky David Barton Gym mini-chain, whose motto is "Look Better Naked", will be opening in the space that used to be a Barnes & Noble on Astor Place. But it was only recently that muscle-bound gym bunny Barton officially announced his intentions for 4 Astor Place. The first ad for the workout center, featuring a toned, oiled-up naked woman, was spotted by Jeremiah's Vanishing NY on Friday. The 32,000-square-foot Astor Place location will be Barton's third in Manhattan and is slated to open sometime this fall. Time to start with the morning protein shakes, East Villagers.
· No Pecs, No Sex [Jeremiah's Vanishing NY]
· Confirmed: Barnes & Noble Astor Place to Become David Barton Gym [Racked]
· Books Out, Gym In On Astor Place [Racked]
Today, the Times confirms what we've known for some time: cheapo chain store Steve & Barry's will be opening in the space on Broadway that used to house Tower Records. Writer Eric Wilson thinks it's a good fit: "for those who can remember what it was like to wile away an evening browsing the exhilaratingly chaotic downtown Tower store, its coming transformation into a temple of cheap denim short-shorts, cargo pants and walls of novelty T-shirts makes some sort of sense in the arc of cultural evolution. Fashion, as it has become more accessible to a generation that is obsessed with the mass emulation of celebrity style, has surpassed music (and the increasingly archaic concept of the record store) as the retail touchstone of youth." So Forever 21 is our Woodstock? Shudder. The store is slated to open this fall.
· Is This the World’s Cheapest Dress? [NY Times]
· Rumormongering: Steve & Barry's Noho-Bound [Racked]
File this one under things we can't seem to get too excited about: Just in time for Hamptons season, a new Lilly Pulitzer boutique is opening on the UES. The store, at 1020 Madison Avenue between 78th and 79th Streets (rendering at right), will debut on May 8th. Like us, the Sun is wondering how well the bright, beachy apparel company will fare in the city, asking: "Will colorful outfits that are bright enough to wreck a Lasik operation work in a city where black is always the new black? Is New York ready for moss green and bubble gum pink—on one blazer? And on a men's blazer at that?" Get one of those flowery shift dresses or loud jackets on a Gossip Girl character or two, and everything should be just fine.
· Painting the Town Pink & Green [NY Sun]
· Kitsch For The Rich [Racked]
The folks over at Style.com have gotten the first peek inside our new Hudson Square obsession, the Rick Owens boutique coming to 250 Hudson Street between Dominick and Broome Streets. They took video inside the space—which is a huge, high-ceilinged empty rectangular box at present—while chatting with the creepy-cute designer. Owens, all long flowing black hair and chiseled arms, states that he's planning to open the boutique in early July: "The minute the collection hits the floor, we're open." We get a glimpse of the glass tank with circulating fog; it's like a gigantic, upscale lava lamp. Why a fog machine? "Cause fog's nice. It's mysterious, it reminds us all of, like, having blurry vision at a disco at 4 in the morning." The designer also lets slip that Atelier will be moving right down the block from his new store. And with that, it's clear that the nexus of retail cool has shifted to this barren, southwestern area of Soho.
· Rick Owens Loves NY, Finally [Style File]
· Storecasting: Rick Owens To Fog Up Hudson Sq [Racked]
Was it really almost a year ago that we were dancing to the tune of a steel drum band as Marty Markowitz and Councilmember Bill de Blasio announced that Brooklyn would finally be getting their own Trader Joe's grocery store? Oh how those halcyon days of July have faded. Time has passed so fast since then, and yet, progress on the supermarket has moved oh so slowly. But after months and months of no movement inside the TJ's site on Court Street and Atlantic Avenue, it looks like construction is finally, finally underway. Tipped off by a Lost City post, we dropped by the old Independence Bank space last night to spot—that stuff you see in the above photo! Workers have dug around a bit, and left some equipment in there. It's not shelves filled with Pirate's Booty and Trader Joe's Triple Berry-O's cereal, but we'll take what we can get.
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Furniture and housewares company Design Within Reach has found a new use for their Soho showroom at 142 Wooster Street. Racked LA 
The ginormous Muji that Midtown's been waiting on for 
BOWERY—The Rogan store 
File this one under things we can't seem to get too excited about: Just in time for Hamptons season, a new Lilly Pulitzer boutique is 
