And now, the latest from Racked, Curbed's new blog covering NYC's shopping scene from the sidewalks up. (N.B. Sun shines on Racked today. How pleasant.)
Carroll Gardens' just-opened vintage furniture store Go Fish!
1) East Village: A lovely nugget of gossip, indeed: rumor has it that Barnes & Noble is checking out of its Astor Place digs. Upside: there's room for at least six banks on the second floor there. (Also, fwiw, confirmed closings: UWS popcorn purveyor Dale & Thomas, and an indie LES coffee shop.)
2) Meatpacking: The Shophound checks in on Nicole Farhi's "lifestyle brand" at 202: "The diners dined and the shoppers shopped without much regard for one another, which made us wonder if the combination of shop and café was more gimmick than synergy. Comfy overstuffed leather chairs dotted the shop area, but served only as display bearing little signs prohibiting actual sitting. No so inviting after all."
3) Midtown West: Carnage at Gap Industries 2000! Following the news that the retailer has put its West 34th Street Old Navy flagship on the market, the neighborhood's Banana Republic is now on the block, too. Bonus broker babble: "Across the street from the Empire State Building which has approximately 30,000 visitors a day." Postcard retailers, destiny beckons.
· Racked [Racked.com]