Amy, over at NYCynicist.com visited the new men’s only store in Manhattan and wrote a great review for this blog. She even took some photos of the store. Thanks so much, Amy!
The Liquor Store
Let me start off by saying - I love the men’s collection at J.Crew. If I could get my boyfriend to wear J.Crew 24/7, I would be happy. And so, as expected, the clothing I saw at the new J.Crew men’s store made me giddy with delight. The trenches, cashmere sweaters, worn in jeans, and pretty much everything else was simply perfection. However, and I say this with great dismay - the store itself left me with a lot to be desired.
Located in the old “Liquor Store” in Tribeca, Manhattan, the J. Crew store is undoubtedly going for a certain look and feel, which I can appreciate. However, for shopping purposes, the store has more misses then hits. First of all, the store is extremely small. It is made up of one long, narrow room, with the long bar still intact on one side, and a fireplace and mantle on the other side. The bar is beautiful - it does make for a great cash wrap - but it is overpowering in such a small space. Because the store is tiny, it leaves little room for the clothes to be displayed properly. This store is definetly a big departure from the roomy interiors of the other J.Crew stores in Manhattan (SoHo, Flatiron, Rockefeller Center).
The clothes seem to clutter the tiny space. On top of this, the store is decorated with tons of liquor bottles and similar trinkets. I have seen this type of decor in many stores going for a certain feel (like Rugby stores…the one in Manhattan is tiny but they somehow make it work). However, in the J.Crew store, the decor makes the store feel crowded and almost dirty. I understand they are going for a vintage bar feel - but dirty looking old jars of olives next to sweaters ties (see the picture, please!)? This display of clothing feels cluttered and gimmicky. J.Crew’s clothes are rich and fabulous on their own…my idea is to ditch the olives and old liquor bottles and focus more on the clothes!
Overall, I can understand that J.Crew was trying to depart from their usual store design and embark on something a little different and a little more suited to a male audience. However, I feel like the decor and displays make the store a place you only visit once - not weekly or monthly (as I visit normal J.Crew stores) as new pieces and collections trickle in.
So I’ve shared my thoughts, and now I would love to hear anyone’s thoughts who visited the store. Do you feel the same way? Do you think it is a big departure from the existing J.Crew stores? I would also like to get a man’s perspective. After all, this store is marketed toward men…so to all the guys out there..do the liquor and olives really work?
