This month, colorful Brit Paul Smith will open an outpost at 280 Grand Street between Havermeyer and Roebling in Williamsburg, thereby officially designating the neighborhood safe for big-name designers. Depending on how you feel about this arrival, you can either thank or blame A.P.C.—while the store isn't technically an outlet, clothing will be 30% off, borrowing from the French brand's model for its own Williamsburg outpost.
Women's Wear Daily has it that the shop will open October 16, although employees at both the Flatiron location and at the Williamsburg site told us it's actually October 8. Either way, it looks like the Smithies have a lot of work to do. This morning we visited the storefront, which sits directly next to decent Italian joint Fioré and just up the block from that mysterious stoner shop Fugataboutit. The windows are still covered in newspapers, and when we snuck a look inside, we didn't see any shelves or stock. We did, however, get a nice look at the polka-dot wallpaper, done in Paul Smith's signature bright colors.
· A Brit Grows in Brooklyn: Paul Smith Opens This Month [WWD; subscription req'd]For more stories from Racked, go to racked.com.
