ROBERT LEE MORRIS SAYS GOODBYE TO SOHO: As 2014 comes to an end, Robert Lee Morris is making a major closure of his own. On Tuesday evening, Morris wrote a post on his brand’s Facebook page revealing that he would be shuttering the doors of his SoHo store – effective almost immediately. “We are closing the SoHo store tomorrow,” Morris wrote. “Time to give up all that insanely expensive space and look for a smaller jewel box uptown.” The jewelry designer followed up the formal post on his personal Facebook page, saying, “These are the last days/hours…of my SoHo store at 400 West Broadway! I wrote farewell message tonight which everyone is stopping to read and then stare into the store as if dumbstruck a bit….” Morris also uploaded a picture of a handwritten sign hanging in the store’s front window, which read, “Farewell SoHo after 37 years – I opened August 1978 Artwear – 1994 (RLM 1978 – 2015) and have been an iconic presence in SHho. We are seeking a smaller, quitter environment to be a true gallery of mine. Big changes. Love to all my local friends and customers.”
Morris first opened the flagship, the brand’s only standalone boutique, in September 1995. Additional retailers include Henri Bendel, Joseph, Kirna Zabete, Holt Renfrew and Neiman Marcus.