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Today marks the launch of Overbey & Dunn, a new West Village interior design shop that gives new meaning to the concept of revolving installations. Every month, the spot at 19 Christopher Street will be transformed with a complete overhaul. The store is the brainchild of Molly Kavanagh and Thomas Dunn, a former fashion PR whiz-kid and current plus-size model. We caught up with Dunn to find out more about why he's committed to opening a brand-new shop every month.
Tell us a bit about the concept behind the store.
The concept for an interior's installation space came about very organically. We love finding treasures and love putting them together in unexpected ways. Neither of us wanted to do a traditional antiques store. We wanted something that would allow us to be creative with design and merchandising. The fact that our inventory is evolving and revolving gives the customer and interior designer a reason to come back often and expect to see something new.
The excitement of unearthing a find or a hidden gem is important to the retail experience. Too many interiors showrooms and boutiques in New York don't turn over their merchandise very often or don't re-imagine how to look at things with new eyes. Now, this is fine for a designer who might be able to envision something in different contexts, but it's more difficult for a retail customer. At Overbey & Dunn, we will have a continually revolving and evolving, thematic display to create an experience for the customer.
Our first installation is called "Spring Fling." We are using objects that express color, humor and excitement. It will be set up as a New York City studio apartment. It's the perfect way to get ready for spring and ditch the last doldrums of winter.
What's behind the name Overbey & Dunn?
Overbey & Dunn is a combination of family names belonging to my partner, Molly Kavanagh, and myself. Overbey is Molly's grandmother's maiden name and Dunn is my surname.
Any collaborations in the works?
Our guest designer series is something else that will be very exciting! Many of our installations will be guest-styled by professional interior designers. Our first guest designer will be the decorator Scott Sanders, who will design the summer installation.
Have you ever worked in retail below?
Neither of us has a background in retail (my experience is in fashion PR and merchandising and Molly has been a plus-size model with Ford for 10 years), but we are both avid shoppers and are coming to this enterprise from the point of view of the consumer. We want to make sure to put the customer and his/her retail experience as our top priority.
· Scott Sanders [Official Site]
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