WestView

Local Heroes

October 2009

In these challenging economic times, it’s great to be able to salute new-and old-friends:Here are shops and services in the West Village that we love.

One of a Kind

Grahame G. Fowler is a local hero with a distinctly international pedigree. The name stands for a unique and highly sophisticated new shop on West 10th Street, next to the firehouse and just east of Bleecker’s fashion row. It’s also the name of the British men’s-wear designer who owns the place.

Fowler opened his men’s shop just prior to Fashion Week in early September, in time to attract a savvy celebrity clientele - e.g., Susan Sarandon - avid collectors who are helping make his block a hot address for people who want world-class design quality.

Fowler opened his first establishment in 1965 and has had shops in Italy, Britain, and Japan. Why did he come to this quiet corner of West 10th Street in Greenwich Village? Fowler is an anti-attention designer, going in the opposite direction to the crowd, so the off-off-Bleecker location appealed to him.

The main ingredient of the shop is men’s shirts. But there are no ordinary, mass-produced shirts - these garments are one-of-a-kind, designed and made by hand in New York using unique fabrics imported from around the world. “My clothes are flavoured with sharp personalized details. My goal is to be an alternative to the sea of imported men’s clothing, and use home-grown craftsmen.”

Even if you are not ready to buy the shirt of a lifetime, visit the store. It has wonderful retro style and a very special stock of things you’ll not see anywhere else, revolving displays of art and photography, and samples from Wheeler’s collection of 150 Lambrettas. - Gay Bryant

Grahame G. Fowler W 10 Shop, 138 West 10th Street. (646) 620-6930

A Well-Kept Secret

It isn’t easy to find, but Clementine Consignment is well worth the effort for a mother or mother-to-be who cares about style. This half-hidden maternity shop is entered by going down the area steps to the lower level of 39 West 4th Street. (The official address is below). Anyone who is a parent or about to be one needs to know about Clementine. It is a delightful store that resells maternity clothes, baby clothes, and charming clothing and shoes for toddlers and children up to 14.

There is a very good selection of used high-quality and name-brand dresses, coats, and casual wear - plus the greatest baby clothes - most of the brand names that you might not otherwise be able to afford. As one customer said, “If you can’t stand the idea of paying big bucks for clothes that you’ll outgrow in four months, this is the place for you.”

Clementine is the brainchild of mother-and-daughter team Myrle Wall and Cara Wall. They run it together, after founding it just one year ago, on October 1st. “This month, September, is our biggest yet, and the business just keeps on growing.”

The two owners feel that their store is a natural in these times and this place. They know first-hand that Greenwich Village mothers dress well, and of course they want to have those irresistible baby clothes too - so Clementine Consignment is a win-win solution for all concerned. - GB

Clementine Consignment, 39½ Washington Square South, between Macdougal Street and Sixth Avenue. (212) 228-9333

Redesigning Her Business

“When times get tough, tough businesses reinvent themselves,” says West Village resident Karen Groner, who started a small luxury fur and leather business, Grownbeans, out of her apartment 30 years ago. “I’d rather create new ways to develop fresh business opportunities than sulk over these rough times,” she explains.

Groner describes her made-in-New-York garments as wearable art. They appeal to confident women who appreciate sophisticated clothes and who enjoy the quality textiles, customized fit, handmade detailing, and originality. She is among the first designers to treat leather as if it were fabric, selecting the finest available from Italy and Spain. Like a great chef, she often
mixes her ingredients: combining leathers, suede, shearling, mink, and lapin creates a one-of-kind, highly textured look and feel. Her collections over the years have proven timeless and enduring, unfettered by trendiness or commercialism.

Striking, with deep red hair and green eyes, Groner models her own designs with panache. It’s not unusual for her to be stopped on the street and asked where she got what she is wearing, and often she will win a customer that way.

Four years ago Groner moved her design and manufacturing business into a Soho loft and began selling directly to customers. This has turned out to be a good business move, since many of the retailers across the US she had been selling to have been hurt by the economy, some reducing orders more than 50 percent this year.

In response to the retail climate, she launched a successful secondary business of refurbishing fur and leather coats. She says people on tight budgets now prefer updating an old or inherited coat to buying a new one. Also, she has expanded her line to include accessories: leather and fur handbags, backpacks, clutches, and belts. Last year she started teaching leather design at the Fashion Institute of Technology. “Teaching helps refresh and reignite my fire for fashion,” she reports, “and it allows me to pass on the wisdom to talented and excited newcomers.”

Groner’s newest marketing move is to take Grownbeans even more directly to the public. In September she presented her latest collection at Crafts at Lyndhurst Art Fair, where more than 300 nationally known artists exhibited. The three-day show was held on the magnificent Lyndhurst estate, about 20 miles north of New York City. Groner said her booth attracted “unbelievable” traffic and that she sold a few pieces. Her most valuable take-away was a fresh mailing list, offering her the opportunity to cultivate enduring relationships with new customers in the months ahead. - Giannella M. Garrett

Grownbeans, 97 Crosby Street. Monday through Friday, noon to 6 p.m.; other hours by appointment. (212) 989-3486.

www.grownbeans.com

Total Beauty Comes to the Village

On a quiet side street off Sixth Avenue is the studio of a decidedly uptown glamour shop, the Ryan Darius Salon. Small, intimate, with only three chairs, the salon gives customers the full treatment from owner Ryan Darius Nickulas himself. Since he opened his salon just a year ago, we were glad to find Nickulas extremely busy when we checked at the beginning of September, during Fashion Week.

Not only does Ryan have an elite private clientele in Manhattan and Boston, but he is in demand as a hair and makeup stylist to the fashion world. When he opened this beauty salon in the Village, he brought his expertise in hair and makeup all under one roof. His hands-on approach as a personal beauty technician ensures that every customer gets hair and makeup all taken care of at once.

“I wanted to create a space where clients can feel totally at home, while experiencing the ultimate luxury of one professional expert catering to their individual needs,” says Ryan.

Ryan Darius Studio, 82 West 12th Street. (212)255-3579.www.RyanDariusSalon.com 


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