It’s unusual for a new retail space to feel like a homecoming. But when American menswear designer Todd Snyder (whose fans include The Rock, Nick Jonas and Armie Hammer) steps into his new Tribeca shop, the nostalgia flows freely.
“I was here way back in the day when J.Crew opened the space in 2008,” says Snyder, a former senior vice president and menswear designer at J.Crew, who also worked with Polo Ralph Lauren and Gap before launching his own eponymous brand in 2011. “It became a mecca for menswear. So when it became available, I jumped at the chance. It was very kismet.”
After J.Crew’s departure last March from 235 W. Broadway — which the retailer dubbed “The Liquor Store” when it converted (with Snyder’s help) a former bar into one of its preppy outposts — the designer worked quickly to reopen inside the 1809 building.
Snyder added reclaimed French oak herringbone flooring, a coffered ceiling and walls, and painted everything military olive — his signature color.
“I’m inspired by military and sartorial, with a New York style,” he says, gesturing around the shop. “For me, this really represents that.”
As for the original bar at the front entrance? It’s still fully intact.
“It’s like an old men’s club but clean and modern,” Snyder tells Alexa. “I wanted to create a place where guys can gather and drink whiskey.”
To that end, Snyder has curated a mix of offerings, combining his high-end looks — think Savile Row-influenced suiting in relaxed American cuts — and less formal brand collabs with New Balance, Timex and Champion.
The intimate store (which opens this week) will focus on giving shoppers personalized attention, with bespoke and made-to-measure suiting, as well as customizable items like a satin bomber jacket and a retro bowling shirt.
And if things are taking a while in the fitting room, not to worry. There’s a brass buzzer with instructions to “buzz for whiskey.”
“The really cool thing about the store is that everything is for sale,” says Snyder, who partnered with 1stdibs on all the furniture and lighting. “For instance, this 1920s table mixed with mid-century modern stools — it’s all for sale, down to the art, books and fixtures. It’s about lifestyle.”
His original flagship will remain open at 25 E. 26th St., and he’s planning to open a third location in Los Angeles next year.
“This store is a satellite that’s meant to service the Downtown guy,” Snyder says. “It will give the customer a taste of what we do … which is breaking rules, not conforming and mixing street with sartorial.”
