It’s no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a lot of isolation, so maybe it’s fitting that as we near the one-year anniversary of New York’s shutdown, partnerships and companionship (as well as a little bit of rivalry) takes the lead this month. Whether it’s a collaboration between landlord and tenant or a new focus on pet services, deals are focusing on connections.
All About Apparel
We do get by with a little help from our friends; mall and lifestyle center mega-owner Simon Property Group is collaborating with Mango’s U.S. expansion strategy, opening stores at three properties in the first quarter. The landlord, which in recent years has been investing in retailers including JCPenney, Aeropostale, Forever 21, Brooks Brothers and Lucky, is working with Mango to open units at Roosevelt Field in Garden City, New York; Menlo Park Mall in Edison, New Jersey and Dadeland Mall in Miami, Florida.
Daily Paper, an Amsterdam, Netherlands-based fashion and lifestyle brand, has opened its first U.S. flagship at 18 Delancey Street on the Lower East Side. The store covers 6,000 square feet, spanning four floors from the 1,500-square-foot basement, 1,500-square-foot ground floor, 1,500-square-foot second floor and 1,500 square-foot rooftop space. The brand was established in 2012 by childhood friends Hussein Suleiman, Abderrahmane Trabsini and Jefferson Osei. Born and raised in Amsterdam’s Old West neighborhood, they launched their fashion brand from a blog they started as children. Kering, the global luxury group that is the parent company of brands including Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Brioni and Girard Perregaux, has opened its new, high-tech North American operations center in Wayne, New Jersey. The office replaces Kering’s former facility in Secaucus, New Jersey.
We may not be able to serve at 140 miles per hour like Roger Federer (Serena comes close!), but we may literally walk in his shoes. Swiss sneaker company On, whose investors include the native-born tennis legend, opened its first U.S. store at 363 Lafayette Street in time for holiday shopping. The 1,600-square-foot unit features a “Magic Wall” that allows shoppers to run the length of the space so staff can analyze their gait.
Food, Glorious Food
It’s about time. Trader Joe’s is coming to Harlem, leasing 28,000 square feet at 121 West 125th Street, reported the New York Post. Target also will be part of the project, which is the planned headquarters of the National Urban League. And in case office occupants need even more organic produce, Whole Foods Market is right across the street.
Wining and Dining
Chef/owner Marco Pellegrini and his wife, Chef de Cuisine Sabrina Vallorinian, have signed a long-term lease for Osteria Umbra, a 6,000-square-foot restaurant to be located at 197 Terry Road, Smithtown, New York, just 500 yards south of Route 347. Lower East Side native Azimuth Bari brings Meat and Bread’s burgers, sandwiches and chicken wings to 201 Allen Street. For those who prefer Cuban cuisine, Mi Salsa Kitchen will replace Mezetto (which closed in the early days of the pandemic) at 161 East Houston Street. At press time, Santa Fe was scheduled to reopen at 73 West 71st Street in late January or early this month after a lengthy closure and renovation.
To Your Health
Remember your local drugstore? Startup Medly Pharmacy has opened a three-story headquarters and store at 31 Debevoise Street (also known as 46 Cook Street) in Bushwick, Brooklyn to expand its same-day prescription delivery services. It also has locations in New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Miami, Florida. The lease is a relocation from elsewhere in the neighborhood, and plans reportedly call for more markets this year. Spear Physical Therapy has signed a 10-year lease at 630 Third Avenue, joining Dig Inn and P.F. Chang’s to Go at the Midtown office tower.
Furry Friends
A veterinary hospital owned by Nicole Brilliant and Karen Heidgard, former hospital administrator for Animal General, has taken 2,000 square feet at 641 Amsterdam Avenue, formerly home to Chocolate Works.
Bull’s-Eye
Yes, Target keeps expanding around the city, with its latest plan to open a unit at 600 Broadway in Soho, reports said in December. The long-vacant site once was home to Abercrombie & Fitch division Hollister.
That’s Entertainment
After a long series of approvals from the Landmarks Preservation Commission and a COVID-19 delay, The Children’s Museum of Manhattan was set to debut at 61 Central Park West.
Kids Korner
Flushing, Queens, mixed-use project Tangram has turned toward serving the neighborhood’s children with two new leases: flagships for Funzy Play, an indoor playground developed by early education experts for babies through six-year-olds, and Queens Baby Store, a one-stop-shop for children and infants.
Debra Hazel
Debra Hazel Communications
New York, NY
201-618-5247
