Tag: SoHo

Squawking about New Bike Stations in SoHo

Posted on by harryhopbot

The bikes are ready and the stations are in place for the bike sharing program to start in SoHo. But, some people in SoHo aren’t taking to the new Citi Bike racks well.

There are now two bike racks in Lt. Joseph Petrosino Square at Lafayette and Kenmare streets. And, as Sean Sweene of the SoHo Alliance said, “The people of New York will have to view this ugly Citibank advertising in a place formerly reserved, and preserved, for art.”

There have been complaints all around from people saying that the bike stations are on landmark blocks and others arguing that there will be lost parking spots. Recently, people in Greenwich Village were given tickets after a new bike stand was installed.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, blowing off the criticism, said on WOR Radio on Friday that the anti-bike criticism “makes good theater.”

9000 bikers will start riding on Monday who have signed up already and the bikes will then be available to the general public starting June 2. An  annual membership costs $95 and a day pass is $9.95.

Jon Bon Jovi Home on the Market in SoHo

Posted on by harryhopbot

If you’re in the market for a place in SoHo, New York, you just might want to check out Jon Bon Jovi’s pad. Purchased by the famous rock star in 2007, his SoHo duplex is now on the market for $42 million.

It’s located at 158 Mercer Street and is 7452 square feet of pure bliss. It includes five bedrooms and 5.5 baths. As The Corcoran Group’s Deborah Grubman site said, “The journey begins when you step off the elevator into the lower-level foyer.”

There is a modern chef’s kitchen, floor-to-ceiling windows and 360 degree views of SoHo and beyond. As part of the for-sale listing it says, “This one-of-a-kind apartment is for the discerning buyer who can appreciate fine craftsmanship and all the modern conveniences.”

Bon Jovi was said to have purchased the home for $24 million.

The Soho Grand Creates Elegant Dog Park

Posted on by harryhopbot

Soho GrandIf you’re one of those people who just doesn’t want to travel without her dog – you’re in luck. The Soho Grand not only welcomes guests with their pooches, but they are now creating an outdoor area especially for dogs. As explained in Luxury Travel Magazine,

“This deluxe lifestyle will be reflected in the beautiful design of the space, which will have an old Soho charm to it, incorporating the wall of St. Alphonsus Liguori Church into the landscape, which stood long before the Soho Grand. Cherry trees, boxwoods and ornamental kale will provide foliage for a verdant and natural environment, while overhead string lights, bespoke benches and fire hydrants will be a witty reminder to visitors that they are in one of the chicest establishments of the world’s most cosmopolitan city.”

Watch for this addition in May and enjoy taking your dog to New York with you. Now, if only they would let them into the Broadway shows…

Enjoy a Spot of Tea…for $6 a Cup

Posted on by harryhopbot

Whether you really love expensive tea or you just want to brag to those around you about your expensive tea – have we got a spot for you! The new loose-leaf tea store in Soho called Le Palais des Thes has the most expensive tea around. You, too, can purchase the 3.5 ounch pouch of handpicked, black, South Korean jukro for the pice of $130 a bag!

This tea will make you approximately 20 cups (yes, that’s over $6 a cup). Never fear, however, because general manager Emery Cooke says it’s worth every cent. As he recently said, it’s “absolutely exquisite.”

It certainly better be for that price!

 

Juggle Your Heart Out in Soho

Posted on by harryhopbot

jugglingWhether you love to juggle or just want a great location for entertainment in Soho for a day, the Dube Juggling Equipment Store is the place to be. On the third-floor in Soho and owned by Brian Dube, this company has been around since 1975.  Mr. Dube dropped out of NYU years ago and stumbled into the business when he became a juggling addict. As he said, “I was eating, drinking, thinking juggling every minute of my life.”

He’s actually the son of a Maine lumberjack who started building juggling clubs for himself when he heard that it would take six months to have them custom made. At his first juggling convention in Delaware, he sold out of his wares instantly, and a business was born.

Now, he employs nine people in the 5000 square foot loft that he’s been using since 1991. Only 10% of the space is used for sales and walk-in customers, while the other 90% is for manufacturing, storage and office space.

His equipment has been used around the world by professionals by: Cirque du Soleil, Penn and Teller, David Blaine, Ringling Brothers Circus, The Big Apple Circus, Philippe Petit, Viktor Kee and many others.

It’s certainly worth a peak if you happen to be in the area! Or, you can buy from them online.

Saying Goodbye To An Area Icon Thanks to Sandy

Posted on by harryhopbot

Boom, located at 152 Spring Street, is going out of business. And with it will be a little piece of Soho history. Unfortunately, Boom isn’t alone in the Sandy aftermath that has left us all reeling with water, debt and debris; but they have certainly been one of the hardest hit in the area.

Boom had a flooded basement kitchen as a result of Hurricane Sandy, and over $100,000 worth of damage. They are closing for other, perhaps more disturbing, reasons which include their inability to keep up with the $150,000 a month rent. Certainly, Boom symbolized the changes in Soho when it started twenty years ago, moving from an industrial district to a hype place to eat, enjoy and be seen.

As former Boom partner Rocco Ancarola told the Post, “The rents are just ridiculous. It has become really hard for smaller restaurants and shops to survive when big luxury brands want flagships in Soho, the Chanels and Louis Vuittons of the world, even though there are never people in those stores. It’s just too costly to fix things up from the hurricane and fight the high rents.”

Goodbye Boom. We certainly hope it’s not goodbye to the boom in economy we’ve seen in the Soho area as well.

SoHo’s Boutiques

Posted on by harryhopbot

Sarah Easley and Beth Buccini have been best friends since the day they met in the University of Virginia’s freshman dorms. They are also fabulous at choosing designer accessories and clothing for their store located in Soho.  Kirna Zabete – as it is called – originates from the pair’s college nicknames: Kirna for Easley and Zabete for Buccini.  Kirna Zabete offers apparel and more from famous brands such as Givenchy, Stella McCartney, Jason Wu and more.  Thus, fittingly emblazoned on their window is the phrase, “So many designers, so little time.” What is important to Easley is taking what she terms as “fashion risks.” She would rather see her models wear too many bracelets, or mix styles that might quite not match rather than go down the dull route.  As she said, “bad taste is better than no taste.”

But now – as part of The Shops at Target program – a limited edition of Kirna Zabete will be available in local Target stores. It brings a few affordable collections co-created by high end boutiques and Target to its stores.  Other boutiques participating in the program include: Odin, The Curiosity Shoppe and Patch NYC. Kirna Zabete is thus offering close to 100 pieces in its fun, flirty collection, replete with cool mixes of styles, patterns and more offering at local Target stores. As well the collection comprises signature colors of pink, red and teal, and boldly-colored graphic dresses and coats.  The line’s seal is a puckered-lipped kiss.

And that is how the general style of the boutique is, as it seeks to reflect clients’ different moods vis-à-vis how they want to dress each day. It seeks to mix a variety of prints, patterns and colors, “throwing all fashion rules out the window.”

More Color to Come

But Kirna Zabete isn’t the only color array to come to SoHo.  Piperlime – Gap’s online-only fashion boutique – is set to open its first actual store next week in the area too. Measuring 4,000 sq. ft, the store aims to create the same feeling of actually walking into its Piperlime.com virtual counterpart.  The store’s “Color Clashing” trend seems to be right in line with what Kirna Zabete is trying to accomplish.  There will be clothing and accessories, with 800+ items ranging in price from $49 to $600.

The reason for this move is that Gap saw that Piperlime is its fastest-growing online property. While it doesn’t have its own label, it has been seen that a 3D version is vital to ensure a real relationship is created.  Customers will also be given an opportunity to discover new names in a boutique-style environment as opposed to through the computer. A variety of jeans come in colors ranging from classic indigo to snakeskin, floral tapestry and everything in between, spanning 15 brands. And of course, it’s much easier to try stuff on in the store’s four large fitting rooms complete with three-way mirrors than on line!

So for those who love color, fashion and are avid-fans of breaking rules, SoHo seems to be the place to be.

SoHo Apple Store Concert

Posted on by harryhopbot

Since June is Black Music Month, Apple’s stores have decided to celebrate with a series of live performances across the country. The Apple Store SoHo location was privy to its performance last night.  At 7 pm Apollo The Great, Freeway and Sean Price played. For those who didn’t catch the performance, there will be two more in the month at the SoHo location.

On June 18th, Ryan Shaw will be playing there and on June 19th, Beanie Sigel will be the entertainment. Other store locations have awesome entertainment as well, with Ziggy Marley appearing at the Upper West Side store on June 18th, and Big K.R.I.T. at the West 14th Street location soon as well.

Learn more about these Apple events and celebrate Black Music Month the right way.

Piperlime Turns to Brick and Mortar Location

Posted on by harryhopbot

For the first time, the e-commerce site owned by San Francisco-based Gap Inc. will be opening an actual brick and mortar location. Piperlime, which until now has only been online, will soon be available at 121 Wooster Street this coming fall. Selling over 500 brands from Citizens of Humanity and Frye to Milly, Piperlime now plans to make its first real shop in SoHo.

As Jennifer Gosselin, senior vice president and general manager of Piperlime, said, “The neighborhood has great foot-traffic and is a shopping destination for our target customer. The character of [SoHo] is also a great fit for our boutique approach.”

While many would assume that Piperlime would have ended up on the Broadway strip, alongside other Bap brands Old Navy and Banana Republic, they chose Wooster Street for its individuality. As Chris Owles, the Sinvin Real Estate broker who helped with the deal said, “The location allows them to differentiate this product from all their others, which are more mainstream. It’s a tight market down here, and this was probably one of the few that really gave them the proper location and the image they require.”

Piperlime joins other online-only retailers who are surfing for brick and mortar space. Amazon is apparently also looking around for space, and eBay and Warby Parker have been toying with the idea as well.

Georgetown Cupcake Coming to SoHo

Posted on by harryhopbot
Georgetown Cupcake

Now you CAN have your cupcake and eat it too. SoHo residents will be thrilled to know that Georgetown Cupcake is heading for New York. This Washington fixture, which also has a branch in Maryland, is going to be opening in SoHo on February 11th.

Sigh of relief!

As the store openings, you’ll be able to catch cute cupcakes with all sorts of New York symbols and logos on them. As part of its debut, the Manhattan digs will have cupcakes that sport local images. There will also be some new, yummy flavors that are just for New York including the black-and-white-iced marble cake flavor, the apple-flavor and the cheesecake one.

Start dieting now so that you can blow it all after February 11th! It will be well worth it.