Bleecker Street in the West Village for Grayers founder Peter Georgiou brings back memories.
The founder and former Ralph Lauren executive used to work blocks away and would frequent the now-shuttered Bleecker Bob’s not far from what will be Grayers’ first pop-up location at 304 Bleecker Street.
“All of that brings back for us some great memories in terms of our sense of belonging,” Georgiou said of the pop-up’s location and a key point the company sought in its real estate search.
The business, which consists of an online shop and can also be found in about 250 doors nationally, sells classic men’s wardrobe staples. Think moleskin sports coats, double cloth button-down shirts and twill pants.
The Bleecker Street pop-up, which officially opens Monday, totals 1,500 square feet and includes a broader assortment than even the company’s own web site – on track to triple in sales this year – with some smaller production items unique to the store.
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Like many brands looking to operate their own retail doors, the pop-up is an opportunity for Grayers to show the breadth of its brand, Georgiou pointed out.
“Nowhere do we have the whole collection. That allows us to bring to life and give the entire aesthetics of the brand,” Georgiou said. “From a standpoint of brand evolution, it’s critical to have a place to tell the whole story.”
Bleecker with its boho vibes, Georgiou said, represents the brand’s unconventional ways.
Grayers spent much of the past year testing the brand out at brick-and-mortar as part of a multibrand band of pop-ups in places such as Nantucket, Charleston and Washington D.C. before pushing into retail on its own.
The store will also include complementary items from brands such as Baxter of California, Winter Session and SeaVees – all lines Georgiou described as sitting within “the same kind of ethos as ours in terms of where they fit in the market.”
The company’s already got its sight set on Los Angeles and the Pacific Northwest for potential future retail outposts.
“We do believe that bricks-and-mortar is here for the long term and our goal obviously is to scope the market for what is the right location for us to get our toes a little bit wet and then invest in something that’s going to be a little bit longer term,” Georgiou said. “The ability to have a fairly holistic product online and also a place that allows it to come to life is critical.”
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