During my years at WalkerGroup, our studio was located on Gansevoort Street in the heart of the Meatpacking District. Back then of course, it was truly the Meatpacking District, with bovine carcasses hanging gruesomely on the open street. Like much of old New York, that has been replaced by new energy and vision. Today, the revitalized district hosts a long list of boutiques with names such as Christian Louboutin, Theory, Intermix, Ports 1961 and Nicholas Kirkwood, to name a few.
And as expected, the pop-up store has joined the upscale boutiques and restaurants on the cobblestone streets of this historic part of town. The Brazilian-based sandal company Havaiana launched a pop-up just in time for summer, at 74 Gansevoort Street. The shop will have an intended short run, open from May 30th to September 3rd.
Whether it's the exotic beaches of Rio, St. Tropez, Majorca or Jones, everyone including celebrities, tourists and locals wants flip flops. Havaiana, like any successful retailer, takes its customers to another place, offering style and comfort in the 1200-square-foot shop located at the foot of the High Line. Modeled after its flagship in Sao Paolo, the shop features burlap-covered display shelves, polished black stones and a garden of lush bamboo. A green-on-green textured carpet offsets the raw concrete floor and exposed brick walls, both remnants of the location's industrial past. A skylight above lets the summer light in, as a steel display shelf features rows of colorful sandals along the window ledge. The back wall is paneled in a gently oxidized copper with a subtle etching of soothing tropical foliage.
With an interactive component, the shop offers customers the opportunity to create their own personal flip flops at the “make your own” flip flop bar. Here customers design flip flops that are theirs and theirs alone, mixing and matching colorful soles and straps and finishing with a decorative pin.
The sign on the door says “Instant Joy.” Entering, customers get just that as they flip flop from the hot streets of New York to a breezy tropical beach.