JF & Son Replaces Jodi Arnold on University Place

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We've got good news and bad news about the storefront at 56 University Place and 10th Street. The bad: Previous occupant Jodi Arnold has shuttered—a move foreshadowed by the closing of their Atlantic Avenue space last month. According to a WWD report, the company, like many other smaller labels, might have run into credit problems due to the recession.

Hopefully, the same issues won't befall JF & Son, the even-younger label that's moved in to take Jodi Arnold's place. You might know JF & Son from their Kenmare Street space, or from their unusual business plan. Owners Jesse Finkelstein and Katie King have set up a socially responsible production process—their clothing and housewares are created in a factory that pays three times the living wage, and all of their workers have health insurance. (They also skew in a slightly more hipster-y direction than Jodi Arnold, which ought to work well the hordes of NYU students traipsing up and down University Place.)

To celebrate the opening, JF & Son have teamed up with Tumblr small-batch boutique Of a Kind on a beaded leather wrap that can serve as a bracelet or a belt. They cost $88, they launched today, and only 30 have been produced, so if you like what you see, get cracking.
· Jodi Arnold Departs Atlantic Avenue After Only Six Months [Racked NY]
· Produce Globally, Sell Locally [Racked NY]
· Color-Blocked Belt Bracelet by JF & Son [Of a Kind]