The romantic, multimirrored dressing room on the second floor of Treasure & Bond may exude a tender Parisian charm, but every bit of it—the wood, the glass—was repurposed from an old Christmas display that once graced the windows of some far-flung Nordstrom.
Treasure & Bond, the 11,000-square-foot store opening in SoHo this Friday, is an affiliate of Nordstrom like no other: In fact, the owners say that, aside from some logistical help, the parent company has “pretty much left us alone…We intend to operate independently and build things up from the grassroots ourselves.”
Treasure & Bond describes itself as a “part store/part giving organization,” and pledges to donate 100 percent of its profits to institutions benefiting children in New York City. (The initial group of recipients includes programs run by the New York Public Library and the Coalition for the Homeless.)
The ambiance is rather different than a department store as well, reminding an early visitor more of Merci in Paris than a typical American shop. Like the much-touted, wildly popular Merci, which also donates profits to charity, Treasure & Bond offers eclectic goods that cohabit happily, if unconventionally, in surprising proximity: Remarkably accomplished hats by the East Village milliner Satya Twena, including felt fedoras and fascinators (a term some of us learned only after Miss Middleton’s nuptials) reside near Mud dishes from Australia (cups and bowls glazed on the inside only). Linen napkins on a roll that tear off like paper towels (an item that is coincidentally a smash hit at Merci) share space with child-friendly books like Color Your Own Tennis Shoes. In all, there are more than 150 lines, much of the wares on offer the work of artisans rather than corporations—for example, jewelers like Adina Mills, who travels the country in a camper looking for natural minerals that become huge chic rings.
Paige Boggs, the store’s general manager, explains that the only requirement for inclusion is the ephemeral quality of what might be termed “awesomeness.” Looking around at the staff putting finishing touches on the recycled racks, loading up the shelves, and getting ready to sweep the concrete floors and fling open the doors to shoppers in a few days’ time, she says, “Whether its $18 or $1,800, it has to be awesome for what it is.”
Treasure & Bond opens Friday, August 19; 350 West Broadway, New York City.
(vogue.com)
Total coolness....I would love to be there for the grand opening!
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