The direct-to-consumer furniture company Define the interior snagged an entire Williamsburg building for its first store in Brooklyn.
Interior Define has signed a long-term agreement for the two-story, 8,322-square-foot property at 109 Sixth Street Northwhere it will open an outpost later this month, according to a representative from Lester Bleckner and Shawwho ensured the legal representation of the owner BRAND (formerly known as Meyer Bergman). The asking rent was $275 per square foot on the ground floor and $75 per square foot on the second floor, according to Goodspaceit is Roberto Rhet, who handled the case for the landlord and the tenant.
“The landlord had great confidence that the tenant would be successful in a neighborhood where 5,000 new residential units are built every year,” Rhett said. “With the unmet demand for furniture and homewares in a neighborhood that currently only has one supplier, this was a great opportunity.”
Custom furniture maker’s expansion to Williamsburg is part of the plan 30 physical stores it plans to open by the end of the year, according to Interior Define. Its Brooklyn location will be larger and more interactive than its other two New York outposts in 68 Green Street in SoHo and 168 Fifth Avenue in NoMad.
“As a data-driven brand, we know where our current and future customers are,” Antonio NievesCEO of Interior Define, said when he announced the new store model at the end of last year. “Having physical studios gives our community more ways to engage with the brand in addition to our online experience, adding another layer in the process of realizing the design vision.”
A UK-based private equity property manager, MARK bought 109 North Sixth in 2017 for $8.5m and incurred around $8m in debt from Standard insurance company a year later, according to public records. The neighbors of the property Birkenstock, Madewell and Urban outfittersaccording to Goodspace online list for the building.
“The building is a former meatpacking building,” Rhett said. “It has a marquee that really makes it stand out on the street – which is great for tenant branding. [The landlord] invested a lot of money in this building to turn it from a meatpacking plant into a beautiful showroom.
retail trade unionit is Bennett’s bark handled the deal for Interior Define with Rhett. Along with Rhett, Goodspace Hank O’Donnell and Chris De Crosta represented MARK.
MARK and Interior Define did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Celia Young can be contacted at [email protected].
