The more rundown a building, the more I love it. Seeing old landmarks repurposed into new endeavors fuels me, and there isn't a day that goes by where I don't visualize my dream of one day living in an old post office.
During my recent jaunt to
New York City, I found myself standing on the corner of W Broadway and White Street smiling from ear to ear. I was at the locked-up entrance to an old Tribeca staple, the Liquor Store Bar. As the name suggests, it was a liquor store-turned-tavern housed in an 1825 townhouse. And it's the only preserved landmark townhouse in NYC zoned for the sale and distribution of alcohol.

It's been closed for a while and a new store is moving in. I couldn't help but chuckle at the cheekiness of the paper covered windows that read, "A GUY WALKS INTO A BAR AND ORDERS A MADRAS. HE WALKS OUT WITH A PAIR OF TROUSERS."
What better way to announce a clothing store is en route?



After browsing
J. Crew's updated website, I discovered they are opening their first-ever
Men's Shop in, you guessed it, the old Liquor Store Bar. The original wooden bar is still intact and come August, it will serve as the perfect backdrop for streamlined blazers, tailored slacks, and hand-picked collectibles. Upon opening, I imagine there will be steep bar tabs in part to their fine assortment of vintage watches and first-edition books.
