Six years after launching ALT for Living to represent boutique to-the-trade brands in 2008, Analisse Taft-Gersten opened a new showroom with a unique twist: a coffee bar. Here’s how her hybrid retail model came together—and created a positive feedback loop for her business.
When the lease for my original showroom in New York ended in 2014, I decided I wanted to do something special, different, and five years ahead of everyone else. I was shopping in the Flower District and was inspired by the industrial vibe of the spaces there, including a dilapidated one that said, “For rent,” which I ended up signing a lease on and renovating. Shortly after, I went to Paris with my husband, who founded [New York Mexican restaurant] La Esquina. We were at [home and apparel shop] Merci, admiring the cafe, and he said, “What about doing a cafe in the showroom?”
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