Inside Project No. 8's Ace Hotel Spin-Off

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Further upping the hipster quotient of the Ace Hotel, No. 8a, Project No. 8's "anti-souvenir shop" opened on Sunday, joining Opening Ceremony, Stumptown Coffee Roasters and the Breslin. The minimalist art-meets-fashion concept boutique is directly accessible from the Ace Hotel lobby. There isn't a sign, but you really can't miss it. The store was quiet compared to Opening Ceremony, but every once in a while a few hotel guests would stroll in and browse about in a mix of interest and bemusement.

We perused the carefully curated store to find a very eclectic mix of items like whimsical stationery by Yellow Owl Workshop, Cordell Cornell white tees, Various Projects trench coats, In Fiore candles, a canvas bag by Slow and Steady Wins the Race and adorable jars of candy by Papabubble. Some items had us scratching our heads (like Yoko Ono's smile in a box, which is basically a plastic black box with a mirror in it) and others made so much sense we thought we might be missing something, like the colorful Baggu reusable shopping bags. We had fun looking through various items tagged with "Memento by Josee Leppage and Tobias Wong" ranging from hard candy disguised as hot pretzels to a Statue of Liberty nightlight ($12, in case you're wondering). No. 8a pretty much completes the Ace Hotel's distinction as the ultimate one stop shop for the hipster's retail and recreation needs.
· Opening Ceremony in the Ace Hotel: Best Gift Shop Ever [Racked NY]
· Project No. 8 [Official Site]