NEW YORK — Scott Sternberg does not lack a point of view.
Label it preppy, hipster or twee, Band of Outsiders has had a very specific vision from the get-go. When it came time for scouting his New York flagship, Sternberg knew what he wanted: A space in SoHo big enough to accommodate retail, his wholesale showroom and cookies.
“I’ve been talking to Christina Tosi [founder of Momofuku Milk Bar] about this forever — ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if?’” said Sternberg about his ambitions of putting a Momofuku Milk Bar in his store. “I think most people laughed at me internally and externally, but when we found this space in SoHo, it was so clear there was room for them.”
So the 4,800-square-foot Band of Outsiders’ store, opening tomorrow at 70 Wooster Street, is half retail, half wholesale with dessert as icing on the cake. Sternberg worked with Lot-ek, the architectural firm that designed the brand’s Tokyo store. He originally approached them with a pre-fab concept.
“I had a notion in my head, which was ridiculous, that our stores would plop down in an alleyway,” said Sternberg. “But when you look at the practicality of that, it was insane.”
They did come up with several design ideas that were equally unique and on-brand and more pragmatic, all working with the concepts of modularity and upcycling.
There’s also Sternberg’s brand of humor in the decor, such as a door to nowhere, hangers printed with the word “hanger” and, of course, cookies.