Photos by Stacie Joy
EVG contributor Stacie Joy received a tour of the interior on Saturday. Oddly enough, the contractors and security officers here did not know who the new retail tenant was... only that they'd be open in a week or so... 
A source told Bowery Boogie last week that a J Crew was setting up shop here. This space is a retail conversion, ending the run of bar-restaurants here in recent years.
Inside are fitting rooms, merch shelves and sporting decor (Merrimack canoes hanging from the ceiling). 
There's nothing inside the storefront with the J Crew branding (and is this JC's store color palette?) ... though J Crew does have a Merrimack canoe line of items.
There also weren't any posted work permits. (The approved work permits also don't mention the new tenant, just the scope of the work.) So far, a coming-soon notice hasn't been posted to the J Crew website... or even its Madewell brand.
Anyway, it would make sense for a J Crew to open here — they introduced the Bowery pants and the Ludlow suit to the world in 2010.
Isn’t J. Crew headquartered in the KMart/Wegmans building? If so, a little surprising that they don’t have a retail presence close by to test in-store concepts and merchandise. Though I guess Soho and Lower Fifth aren’t that far away…
ReplyDeletethey closed their Prince St store years ago...they might still have a men's suiting store in soho but otherwise have to head up to 5th...
ReplyDeleteJ.Crew’s HQ moved to Brookfield Place back in 2018. They still have their men’s shop in SoHo in addition to their 5th Ave. location. Wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up being some sort of men’s outpost store similarly to the shop that closed in the now Dumbo Timeout Market - esp. since they have Brandon Babenzian as their Men’s Creative Director and the new release of his Fall line.
ReplyDeleteThe last thing we need is a j crew in the area. Retail stores are struggling. Patagonia across the street recently went out of business. They should have put a restaurant or coffee shop here
ReplyDelete