109 Mercer Street
Whatever your thoughts on blue suede dress shoes, there’s no question the arrival of the city’s first Florsheim by Duckie Brown store in Soho will liven up men’s footwear in the city.
The designer has signed a temporary lease for 1,850 square feet on the ground level and 1,300 square feet on the lower level at 109 Mercer Street. That gives the pop-up prominent placement among Hugo Boss, Prada and Vera Wang, Marni and Rag & Bone.
“Introducing downtown buyers to this exciting brand in such a bold way is inspired,” said Faith Hope Consolo, who represented the landlord along with Joseph Aquino of the Prudential Douglas Elliman Retail Group. “This is the kind of fashion statement that will absolutely resonate with the buyers who come here, specifically, for new and different.”
Whether the designer’s line of pastel corded, gold and military-inspired dress shoes will catch on with the more cautious sex still remains to be seen. But certainly it marks a major step forward for the footwear partnership, consisting of the sensible Wisconsin-based Florsheim and the design team of Steven Cox and Daniel Silver, whose motto is “dressing men beautifully.”
For those who fell in love with Duckie’s spring collection, featuring electric blue and yellow suede shoes, with any luck the store will still be around. “Over and again we’ve seen pop-ups become permanent,” said Ms. Consolo.
The tenant was represented by Isaacs & Company.
