Anthropologie has just taken out a lease on nearly 29,000 square feet of retail space in lower Manhattan. What could they possibly want with that much space? Hmmm, I wonder.
The space, shown above, is in the Thomson Reuters building on Dey Street, which also has entrances on Broadway in Financial District, Manhattan. I lived on nearby Wall St until 2013 and the entire time I was down there I hoped beyond hope that Anthro would arrive close to me — it figures that they take up a lease after I’ve moved on!
Still, this is an amazing location. Residents of the area will nod along with me because the population is exploding in Financial District right now. Between the World Trade Center reopening over in nearby Battery Park City; the huge Fulton Transit Center that’s packed with retail due to open sometime early next year and the sudden space grab among retailers along lowest Broadway in Manhattan (Century 21 has been there forever plus new arrivals like Zara, Anthro’s sister company Urban Outfitters, etc.) there’s tons of growth happening and consumers as well as residents are taking notice.
For those not from the area, whenever you see a movie with an establishing shot of Manhattan — you know, the helicopter showing the really really tall skyscrapers and water? — this is what they’re shooting. Think Wall St, off the grid (you’re below numbered streets here so every street has names, and they wander like the cow paths they’re built upon), being surrounded by buildings that seem to kiss the sky, and some of the most beautiful architecture NYC has to offer. This building Anthro’s taken a lease in was formerly the home of AT&T which means it has lots of cabling and routing but more importantly it has beautiful deco architecture. Think soaring columns, super high ceilings and detail upon every corner, elevator and wall space.
If this does indeed end up being the home of one of Anthropologie’s department store concepts I’ll be quite pleased. It looks like an Anthropologie! And it’s in pretty much the perfect area. Not only is it a huge tourist destination due to landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, the Woolworth Building, the WTC, Trinity Church, South St Seaport and the Wall St Bull (which is on Broadway, not Wall St by the way! Can’t tell you how many times I directed wayward tourists there!) it’s also a burgeoning retail haven. For locals, Financial District is amazing because it’s where the East Side and West Side subways meet. Ultra convenient. The nearby Fulton Street station houses stops for the A, C, 2, 3, 4 and 5 trains while the E, R, J and Z trains aren’t too far away either.
NYC residents and visitors, are you excited about this new location? I wonder if Anthropologie will keep all of its other Manhattan locations open — this will be its 6th store in Manhattan. That sounds like a lot until you factor in that they’re all in very different neighborhoods that may seem close on a map, but aren’t close in NYC transit commute times.
Further reading:
Anthropologie seizes the entire Dey Street retail space — New York Post
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