Wednesday, December 15, 2010

The Liquor Store

j crew liquor store
I'm in NYC city all week and let me tell you, it's damn cold out here.  I love this city but for a SoCal guy, 20 degree weather is just too cold.  While I brought a winter coat and a scarf, I forgot to bring a hat to cover my ears and noggin.  So tonight as I was walking from my hotel - the Tribeca Grand (sexy hip hotel, but that's for another post) - to dinner at Tribeca Grill (great restaurant that counts Robert DeNiro as one of the owners, but also for another post), I decided to stop into this seemingly cool little boutique to pick up a warm hat.  At first I though the store was a thrift shop because of the nondescript and somewhat old-looking exterior, but upon closer inspection through the window, it appeared that they had some pretty nice looking (new) stuff.  I walked in desperate to get out of the crippling cold and asked one of the workers if they had a beenie.  The guy was friendly and brought out a selection of hats.  I picked one out and decided to take a look around the store.  They had some pretty nice stuff.  There was a nice selection of sports coats and jackets, many of which would look great on me.  There were also shoes, briefcases, and a bunch of other apparel and accessories that would right at home on G Luxe.  I was excited.  I figured I had found a hidden gem of a store in Tribeca.  I started talking up the guy behind the counter and he tells me of a new boutique that he and his partner are opening up at the just-opened Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas.  Pimp.  A couple of young entrepreneurs.  I asked him for a business card, thinking I'll be doing some online shopping and perhaps writing up a post about the store for G Luxe.  He rings me up and hands me the receipt before going off to get a business card.  I look at the receipt.  On the top, it says: J. Crew.  What the hell?  I ask the guy behind the counter if this store is in fact a J. Crew.  It is he confirmed.  It turns out that what I had found was in fact a boutique, just one that happens to be part of a major fashion retailer.  The J. Crew Liquor Store is located in a former tavern that is housed in a townhouse built in 1825 and features some of the best items that J. Crew has to offer as well as collectibles such as vintage watches, LP's and first-edition books.  It really is a cool store and you definitely should check it out if you're ever in NYC.  Or you can shop online, but it won't be the same experience.  We'll be posting stuff from the Liquor Store in the near future.

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