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October 14, 2008

Streetlevel: We the Free on Smith Street

wethefree-1008.jpg
We love our tipsters, one of whom sent in this report about a new store at 113 Smith, at Pacific. "We The Free, a part of Urban Outfitters, opened their first store ever right here in Brooklyn. We The Free is a clothing line carried by Free People, which has a few locations across the US. We The Free will have 3 stores open by the end of the year. They are opening a couple in Chicago and Los Angeles. Just a pro-brooklyn story that this national company is opening up their first of a new concept store in Brooklyn. The site used to be a drycleaners for a number of years." Keep the tips coming!




Posted by lisa at 1:51 PM | Comments (16)
Categories: Cobble Hill, Streetlevel

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Comments

Wow, that is really cool.

Really nice to hear it. I almost went over to Smith Street this past weekend, but it was so gorgeous, I could barely leave Park Slope.

I'll head there this coming weekend and check it out and then hit Trader Joe's on the way home...been really wanting to check that out as well.

Posted by: 11217 at October 14, 2008 1:55 PM

Ya think they could've cleaned up the building a bit?? Paint the tagging on the side and do something, anything to the front above the fugly security gates????

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at October 14, 2008 1:55 PM

Kyoto is amazing.

Posted by: JAE at October 14, 2008 2:00 PM

I like the way they left it. It's real, it's Brooklyn and it's nice to not have everything look like Disney World.

Posted by: 11217 at October 14, 2008 2:01 PM

DIBS, if they did that, they would have to change the name to Suburban Outfitters.

Posted by: Biff Champion at October 14, 2008 2:10 PM

It doesn't have to look like Disney World but this looks run down and God forbid I use the "g" word. Have some pride in the building for God's sake.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at October 14, 2008 2:10 PM

^ total aggreeance

-rob

Posted by: PitbullNYC at October 14, 2008 2:11 PM

Its part of the "aesthetic". You can't see it from the picture, but they've actually spray painted We the Free on the side of the building.

Posted by: seb at October 14, 2008 2:41 PM

Great news for Brooklyn

Posted by: sebb at October 14, 2008 2:48 PM

oh no i didnt mean to agree with that poster i agreed with 11217 that the graffiti looks okay and it looks good!!!

r

Posted by: PitbullNYC at October 14, 2008 2:52 PM

We the Free? Free to steal designer's ideas, I guess:
http://urbncounterfeiters.blogspot.com/

Posted by: johnife at October 14, 2008 3:18 PM

This is old news. It is common practice in large retail chains to get "inspired" by existing designs. They have to change a certain number of elements so they don't get sued. I'm not saying it's fair, just that you will find the practice at all department stores and chain retailers. (One of my relatives did product development for a while and I was surprised when I found out how blatant the ripping off was...)

You might enjoy this blog:

http://youthoughtwewouldntnotice.com/blog3/

Posted by: Carol Gardens at October 14, 2008 5:28 PM

Was this once the laundry where a certain male employee had a foot fetish and regularly stared at female customers' feet? This happened to two female coworkers of mine. The guy gave one of them his business card and told her she could make a lot of money because her toes had really nice cleavage.

Posted by: sixyearsandcounting at October 14, 2008 5:37 PM

I just want to throw this out there:

Small and independent shops with original perspectives are part of what make living in Brooklyn great. And before you jump all over me I don't think that larger retailers shouldn't be a part of Brooklyn's great and diverse shopping landscape. On the contrary, I think people need options like Urban, Century, and Target so that all of their choices aren't on the higher end of the price spectrum. However, I have to take issue with a chain as dangerous to small retailers as Urban is taking on the image of a small retailer, in a small space, with a small line they are marketing as 'indie'. They are not small. They will not struggle. And if it doesn't work out it's a write off at worst. For other small boutiques on the street it puts in peril their very existence. I'm not saying don't shop there. I'm just saying give it a little thought before you do. Many of you moved here because Brooklyn had that grassroots vibe, right?

Johnife, thank you. I think it's important that people see how blatant the theft is.

Carol Gardens, it's only old news if you've heard it. Plenty of people don't understand and need to.

Posted by: WTerraceGirl at October 14, 2008 10:32 PM

The g word... you dont mean 'Gowanus' do you...?

Posted by: nicksull at October 15, 2008 2:17 PM

well i agree its way overpriced....
but as for the comments about urban ripping off designers, this is the fashion industry we're talking about, this is what they do, not really fair to single urban out

Posted by: honeyb at October 15, 2008 8:50 PM

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