J.Crew Ups SoHo Presence With Largest, Usually Only-online Women’s-focused Selection
With its grand circular staircase and a blend of coastal and city-inspired styles, a new J.Crew store opened in SoHo on Thursday, marking the brand’s return to the neighborhood with a women’s-focused presentation.
The 5,105-square-foot store, at 75 Spring Street, replaces the former J.Crew store at 99 Prince Street in SoHo, which closed in January 2018. J.Crew also operates a men’s store in SoHo, at 484 Broadway. The Spring Street store displays mostly women’s, with a variety of menswear, and according to the company, “contains the largest assortment of women’s apparel and accessories that are usually only available online.”
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Rex Lalire of LMA Architecture worked on the project along with J.Crew women’s and kids’ creative director Olympia Gayot, giving the Spring Street store a gallery-like space to highlight the clothes.
“The new store was created to feel like a destination that is noticeably different from other J.Crew stores and continues to bring the brand into the future, while also respecting the rich brand heritage, much like how Olympia designs many of the J.Crew women’s collections,” the company said in a statement.
Additionally, Gayot worked with New York creative and furniture adviser Michael Bargo in selecting a series of design elements and an assortment of pieces for the store. She also collaborated on the project with her father, David Bermann, who works in wood finishings, to create a custom wood stain with a wax coating, made to stand the test of time.
J.Crew Spring Street features a grand circular staircase, and elements representative of the brand’s original SoHo flagship that resided on Prince Street for more than 21 years.
Over the last several years J.Crew, amid difficult sales trends, cut its store count almost in half, from more than 200 to a current 112. But in a December 2023 interview with WWD, J.Crew Group chief executive officer Libby Wadle underscored the importance of brick-and-mortar stores, saying, “The best representation of the brand needs to be in the stores. It’s how we are merchandising the stores today. It’s how we are thinking about investment in our stores. We have a smaller footprint, but these stores are in our best markets. We will invest in them to make sure they feel really fresh.”
“With the opening of 75 Spring, we have the opportunity to return to SoHo, a neighborhood that is a piece of our heritage,” said Wadle. “The store offers the chance to invite our customers into the J.Crew lifestyle, marrying two important style influences — coastal and city.”
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