Wednesday, December 12, 2018

On Lafayette Street, former shelter for homeless women is now Showfields, 'the Most Interesting Store In The World'


[EVG photo from 2015]

Over at 11 Bond St. (aka 343 Lafayette St.), the former shelter for homeless women has been transformed into Showfields, a retail complex focusing on health-and-wellness brands.

Tenants on the ground-floor of Showfields made their debut yesterday.


[11 Bond St. rendering]

According to the headline on the news release yesterday: "The Most Interesting Store In The World Opens Today On Bond Street." The owners call this "a destination for consumers to engage with their favorite brands."

Among what you'll find inside, per the release:

• THRILLS by CHLOE, SHOWFIELDS' signature food and beverage experience where by CHLOE.'s larger-than-life flavors take on fantastical form inside a magical carnival-inspired funhouse.

• A bathroom curated by Babba C. Rivera of bybabba, showcasing her favorite bath and beauty products.

• You've seen the quip electric toothbrush on Instagram and mounted on your friends' bathroom mirrors, and now you can actually try a refreshed oral care routine first-hand (or... first-mouth).

• Get hands on with frank body's Australian natural coffee scrubs. Even sweeter, the first 1K customers will get a free full-size Birthday Cake Scrub.

• The GRAVITY relaxation space, a partnership with sleep application Calm and Beats by Dre to offer a distinct calming experience showcasing the brand's weighted sleep essentials.

• A sensory experience with Function of Beauty that highlights new and limited-edition fragrances, along with the next-level performance of this hyper-customizable hair care range. Customers will have access to gift box discounts not available online.

• Boll & Branch's new mattress inside an interactive billboard emitting different color light depending on the time of day.

The Center of Urban Community Services, who ran the 43-bed shelter for homeless women starting in 1988, sold the property to Aby Rosen's RFR Holding for $26 million in 2015.

The 15,000-square-foot building is in the Noho Historic District. The Landmarks Preservation Commission OK'd the modifications to the building in 2016. It was erected in 1913 for the New York Women’s League for Animals as a veterinary hospital. Find more history here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Shelter for homeless woman on Lafayette sold; retail tenant wanted

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I guess that's why we have some many homeless people on the streets these days. All the support services are selling out.

Anonymous said...

I cant wait to NEVER visit this.

noble neolani said...

The Manhattan's mall make over will be complete when our remaining cemeteries become targeted for luxury housing and shopping. Oh crap I just gave developers a new idea,

Gojira said...

Because, of course, NYC has completely abdicated its responsibility to - um, er, I mean - eradicated - its population of homeless women. And I second Anon. 8.45's statement; the juxtaposition here is beyond Kafka-esque.

Anonymous said...

So, it's a...mall. I give it 6 months.

Anonymous said...

@8:45am: You NAILED IT! An excellent location to NEVER visit.

The whole idea made no sense until I saw the mention of "Aby Rosen" who, IMO, has proven he can mess up nearly anything he involves himself in.