Soho Design Store Moss Is Closing After 18 Years

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Even in Soho, it's hard to make a living selling $7,036 table lamps. The New York Times reports that design mecca Moss will shutter on February 17
due to "a perfect storm of high overhead and lagging sales." Since it opened in 1994, the gallery-like shop has always appealed to browsers attracted to its mix of hyper-modern furniture and retro—sometimes downright old-fashioned—home goods. But those browsers didn't necessarily turn into buyers, and now owners Murray Moss and Franklin Getchell tell the Times that they felt like they were running "a free museum."

Moss has experienced some setbacks in recent years. Back in 2010, the store was briefly seized by the NY State Tax Department. And a 2008 attempt to expand the brand to LA didn't work out. Murray and Getchell say they're not done yet, though. They're looking to re-open in a smaller space, and they also plan to launch a consulting firm called Moss Bureau.
· Moss, a Design Mecca, Is Closing [NYT]
· Moss Seized for Non-Payment of Taxes [Racked NY]
· Now Open: Moss at The Bazaar at SLS Hotel [Racked LA]