STORY
Neighborhood: Chelsea
Type of Place: Gift Shops
Description:
If you haven’t yet heard the story about STORY, it’s time. Located just two blocks from the Chelsea Market and the Highline elevated park, this shop introduces readers to a new retail concept that, according to their website, “takes the point of view of a magazine, changes like a gallery and sells things like a store.”
What does this mean? As though each month were an act in a play, the 2,000 square-foot space takes an intermission every 4 – 8 weeks in order to entirely reinvent itself to fit a particular theme. From merchandise and store design including different floor layouts and fixtures, the changes invite customers to shop or browse in a completely different light according to a new “narrative”. Some past “stories” have included Wellness, Color, Home for the Holidays, Cool, Good, Design, Art and Made in America.
The product line at STORY focuses on high-end goods with prices that can range anywhere from $10 to in the hundreds. Since the merchandise is constantly changing, it is highly suggested that if a certain-something catches your eye, you should probably pick it up, as it won’t be there on your next adventure. You’ll find the assortment of merchandise astounding. Designware, cosmetics, chocolate, ice cream, pet goods, toys, tchotchkes and trinkets, cookware, wine-lover’s products, books, clothing and jewelry is just a prologue to what you will find as you flip through the pages of this STORY.
I’ve been to this shop a couple of times and during a few different themes, and have purchased some great gifts for myself and others including shatterproof, recyclable tumblers for $15/each, a burlap wine-tote, a set of 4 Vosgues gourmet chocolates for $4, a pair of plastic, detachable shoelaces (great for kids and adults) for $15, and my biggest splurge at the shop to-date: a pair of JAMBOX wireless speakers for $179. During one of my visits, I spotted a mother buying ice cream for her child and inquired about it to one of the staff, all of who are amicable, knowledgeable, eager to answer questions, and have the non-aggressive sales method down to a science. STORY carries five flavors of MILKMADE brand ice cream with names like Rockaway Road and Rumble in Brighton and is sold at what looked be about a quart for $15 in a freezer take-home bag. A precious item I spotted but could not afford to buy at the time was a pair of Simon Alcantara gold hoop earrings for $460.
The next time you are strolling down Manhattan’s Tenth Avenue retail corridor, make sure to stop in and have a look at this shop – it is like none you’ve ever been to and may possibly be the retail industry’s Greatest STORY Ever Told.
STORY
144 10th Ave (19th St & 18th St)
New York, NY 10011
(212) 242-4853
Website
Map
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