Urban Outfitters "Ironically" Celebrates Old-School New York

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Kids today might not remember what New York City was like before it became overrun with chain stores, but Urban Outfitters plans to remind them with its newest Upper West Side location. Today's Wall Street Journal reports that the space will be designed to resemble a series of mom-and-pop shops. The four false fronts will look like a hat store, a hardware store, a neighborhood bar and a bodega—just the sort of retail mix that would make Jane Jacobs proud.

"The whole idea was to do this kind of ironic statement of lining the building with storefronts that would be reminiscent of independent businesses," says the creative director of the company which designed the store. "It's the story about the streets of New York as they once were." Look for this theme park to debut at Broadway and 100th sometime this fall.
· Urban Outfitters Brings Hipster-dom to a Second UWS Location [Racked NY]
· Urban Outfitters' Chic Storefronts [WSJ]