Off the Runway, In the Shoe Store
A soon-to-open TriBeCa shoe and accessories shop, Edon Manor, is primed to become a destination for those seeking hard-to-find, straight-from-the-runway footwear. Modeled after and named for the English countryside estate owned by the owner's family, the shop will feature shoes from designers such as Givenchy, Vivienne Westwood, Proenza Schouler, Laurence Decade, Derek Lam, and Alaia.
Edon Manor (391 Greenwich St., between Beach and N. Moore streets), slated to open on November 6, is the brainchild of proprietor Davinia Wang, a 2006 Parsons design school graduate. Born in Hong Kong, raised in London, and schooled in New York, Ms. Wang said she was eager to bring her worldly aesthetic to the Manhattan marketplace, which she finds to be oversaturated with futuristic retail spaces that are wary of taking risks with their shoe inventories.
Ms. Wang said she "could never find any of the runway styles" she sought out, so the entrepreneur decided to start a shoe store of her own. She spent the last year visiting showrooms around the world, handpicking merchandise she deemed edgy or classic, but "nothing in between." Those selections, which will be on sale in the 1,300 square-foot Edon Manor store, include Givenchy patent leather lace-up mules in gray and black for $680; Proenza Schouler python pumps in electric blue and black for $825, and Brora cashmere lace tights for $125. The store will also offer shoes in the $300–$400 range by emerging designers, such as Rupert Sanderson and Scorah Pattullo. The store's creative director Ryan Korban said Edon Manor would likely appeal most to fashion-forward "girls who can buy anything," TriBeCa mothers, and out-of-town visitors who have come to New York to shop.
When it opens, Edon Manor will stock women's shoes only, but a small men's section will be added next year.
While the footwear will be the store's main attraction, its old-world décor is attention-worthy in its own right, thanks to the efforts of Mr. Korban, a former classmate of Ms. Wang. Edon Manor's interior is full of unique touches: An English birdbath is transformed into the base of a table; traditional taffetas in a beaten mint green drape the windows; a rolling ladder graces a long library wall (full of books, shoes, and accessories), and a 16-shade chandelier hangs from the ceiling.
"We love the relationship between country life in England and city life in London — and we wanted to bring the country to an urban setting," Mr. Korban said of the store's interior design.
To add to the intimate, country house feel, Ms. Wang said tea will be plentiful — and that she will serve sandwiches, scones, and Champagne on special occasions. A TriBeCa resident for more than six years, Gina Barac-Bauer, said there's a demand for a store like Edon Manor among neighborhood residents. "I think it's growing, but there are still very few stores down here," Ms. Barac-Bauer said, referring to TriBeCa's retail apparel landscape.
A spokesman for Issey Miyake, a fashion house that opened its TriBeCa store in 2001, Joseph Thiel, said there's been "rapid growth" in the number of retail stores populating the family-friendly enclave.
Ms. Wang said she's happy with how the store is taking shape. "It's comfortable, and it's not too delicate where you can't touch everything and you can't bring your children there and maybe pets," she said.
She laughed, and added: "I'm not 100% sure about that yet!"
