A Bushwick retailer with robust ties to the neighborhood is celebrating ten years in enterprise.
Associates NYC was created by Mary Meyer and Emma Kadar-Penner. The 2 have been mates previous to opening the shop and lived collectively when Kadar-Penner first moved to New York Metropolis. Meyer was working as a designer for a vogue line on the time whereas Kadar-Penner was working together with her when Meyer floated the thought of opening a retailer collectively.
“She knew how a lot I liked classic clothes, and I used to be working in vogue in museums,” mentioned Kadar-Penner. “So it was actually natural when Mary mentioned, ‘Do you wish to have a classic retailer with me right here’ on this area that she had, and I mentioned sure.”
The 2 began the shop with a 90s really feel, with the identify of the shop not solely referencing their very own friendship but in addition the TV present “Associates.” Each Kadar-Penner and Meyer labored a number of jobs earlier than the shop took off, permitting them to make the shop their full-time jobs.
“We each come from totally different backgrounds that we didn’t research enterprise, we didn’t come from a spot of getting labored in a company retail surroundings, after which determined to open the store,” mentioned Meyer. “Apart from highschool jobs, I don’t suppose both of us had labored in retail earlier than this.”
The shop itself has gone by means of many iterations through the years, beginning out as only a rack and a desk and ultimately evolving into a singular spot that’s type like a hidden treasure in Bushwick.
“We’re in a extremely bizarre area, it’s an industrial transformed business area, not a standard retail area,” mentioned Meyer. “It‘s semi-subterranean, there are pipes all over the place and excessive ceilings. It has this Brooklyn impact, vacationers adore it.”
At present, while you stroll into Associates NYC you will discover a plethora of distinctive dwelling items and presents, together with their unique line of tube socks and candles (together with a pizza-scented candle that might be hitting cabinets quickly). The shop has developed from its unique classic clothes roots, however nonetheless has enhance of nostalgia. Meyer and Kadar-Penner delight themselves on providing merchandise that you just gained’t discover anyplace else.
“We’re millennials, so mainly plenty of what evokes the house items, the smoke stuff, sort of has a nostalgia having to do with being a teenager or a youngster,” mentioned Kadar-Penner. “Then we additionally deal with whimsy and humorous, so something that makes you kinda chuckle or say, hey that is distinctive, that’s one other factor that influences what we purchase. We actually attempt to discover stuff that’s domestically made, made in the neighborhood, and likewise issues which are nicely made in different nations, supporting artists is a giant a part of it. We attempt to have stuff that not everybody else could have.”
Very early on, Associates NYC was very community-oriented. Meyer and Kadar-Penner began to host public occasions within the area, together with “Natty Thursdays,” the place clients can drink pure wine and store round, and flash tattoo occasions, the place a tattoo artist is on-site giving flash tattoos whereas clients store and occasion.
“I really feel like we have been community-oriented from the start. Earlier to this, I had a reside/work area in Greenpoint. We used to throw occasions in that area and have bands play, have events and that form of factor. Once we transferred over to this area, which additionally was like had an analogous vibe, to start with, we have been throwing reveals and would have DJs within the area,” mentioned Meyer. “Now we’re at some extent the place we are able to’t facilitate that sort of occasion as a result of there’s an excessive amount of merchandise within the present area we’re in.”
No matter what sort of area they have been working with, Kadar-Penner and Meyer felt it was crucial to be concerned in the neighborhood the shop was in, and all of it got here collectively very naturally.
“It developed very organically and needed to do with the neighborhood that Emma and I have been part of right here in Brooklyn,” mentioned Meyer. “Additionally simply the truth that we had a public area and wished to share that and simply be capable of supply forth one thing that we had.”
Like many companies in New York Metropolis, Associates NYC confronted shutdowns in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The shop closed down from March by means of July, and through this time, public occasions got here to a full cease and the shop began to essentially get its on-line retailer (which opened in 2018) off the bottom to maintain gross sales up.
When the shop was in a position to open again up, Associates NYC drastically minimize down how many individuals can be allowed within the retailer at one time.
“We have been fairly conservative with that. Though the shop is fairly large and open, we have been fortunate in that we might have extra folks than a tiny boutique,” mentioned Kadar-Penner. “However there have been much less folks. We have been used to Saturdays the place we have been packed to the gills and there have been 10 folks in there. That affected gross sales fairly a bit.”
Nevertheless, regardless of the pandemic setback, Meyer and Kadar-Penner noticed that their clients have been excited to get again to procuring in particular person as soon as once more.
“We seen folks wished to buy straight away, folks have been lacking that have,” mentioned Kadar-Penner. “Despite the fact that on-line gross sales went up throughout that point, having a retailer positively additionally was useful as a result of everybody likes to the touch and see and really feel.”
Final month, Associates NYC began to host occasions once more, with a number of deliberate for the summer time, together with a flash tattoo occasion on June 23, a Associates NYC x Stems Brooklyn Collab + Charity Initiative on July 8 and a Associates NYC x Sackville & Co Collab occasion deliberate for August. On July 21, Associates NYC might be going all-out celebrating its tenth anniversary with meals vans, flash embroidery, tooth gems and a lot extra.
“We’re actually stoked about 10 years and are excited to rejoice. We’re throwing down like we by no means have earlier than,” mentioned Kadar-Penner. “It feels good, it seems like we achieved one thing. Like Mary mentioned, we actually didn’t know what we have been doing to start with so I’m at all times happy with us that we figured it out and are good at it. It’s fairly superb.”
“Associates is such part of my DNA for therefore lengthy, when COVID began I by no means was like, oh we’ll shut down. I by no means thought that will occur to us. However because the months went ahead, I needed to be like this would possibly occur,” mentioned Meyer. “I might see all people else closing and I simply suppose it’s by means of Emma and I — we have now such a mixed energy collectively, and I simply really feel like by means of leaning on one another and pushing ahead, we’ve managed to get right here and I’m very happy with us.”
Associates NYC is situated at 56 Bogart St. in Bushwick. For extra details about Associates NYC or to buy on-line, go to friendsnyc.com.
