Kids these days
After noticing that the long-sock-loving American Apparel is moving into The Observer’s Flatiron neighborhood–142 Fifth Avenue, to be precise–we decided to give the lascivious company a call.
“If you stand on the street at Fifth Avenue, there are lot of people who look like American Apparel customers,” said Miguel Mckelvey, a location scout and store designer for American Apparel (he works at Jordan Parnass Digital Architecture.*)
Take note: the new 2000-square-foot store, opening in mid-to-late October, is landing at Fifth and 19th.
Why the Flatiron District? “Every space that was previously something else seems to be turning into high profile retail,” Mr. McKelvey said. “There’s Espirit down the street, J. Crew and Anthropologie. Any of those stores attract a lot of women. My girlfriend goes to Club Monaco all the time.”
But while the rapidly expanding store is looking to attract mainstream women customers, it also has a hipster chic to live up to. “Like over in Park Slope on Flatbush Avenue we’re in an old movie theater, or in Williamsburg we went into an old auto garage on North 6th… And we balance that with Beverly Hills and Newbury Street in Boston.”
And, starting next month, Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
– Max Abelson
(*Dov Trivia: Touchy-feely American Apparel founder Dov Charney and Jordan Parnass have been “friends since birth,” according to Mr. McKelvey)