<\/p>\n
\n\tTwo: Minds is back. Well, it never really left.<\/p>\n
\n\tRather, the upscale men\u2019s and women\u2019s multibrand boutique in New York\u2019s Meatpacking District moved around the corner for a year, setting up shop at 68 Gansevoort Street while its original address got a facelift. And now it\u2019s back.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe store at 34 Gansevoort Street looks exactly as it did before: all-white with blond wood accents and a midcentury seating area inspired by The Row in London. The smell of fresh paint was the only tip-off a renovation had taken place.<\/p>\n
\n\tAs these things tend to go, it started with routine maintenance: the elevator to Two: Minds\u2019 underground stock room needed updating, giving cofounder Jesse Dong an opportunity to consider what else he\u2019d like to update.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tDries Van Noten at Two: Minds.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Two: Minds<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWe thought about what would increase the customer experience,\u201d he said, rattling off some fixes that, while not immediately discernible, make an impact.<\/p>\n
\n\tThis included brightening the lights \u201cbecause we had clients that would go through the rails and kind of squint,\u201d and lowering the shelves, \u201cso they could pick up the product and feel it. You don\u2019t want to put things too out of reach,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\n\tFitting rooms were also expanded slightly to better accommodate Two: Minds\u2019 selling method of on-site personal styling. Dong said he felt customers needed more space to relax \u201cwhile they\u2019re having fun buying some clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tSacai at Two: Minds.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Two: Minds<\/p>\n
\n\tIn step with what designers are sending down their spring runways, Dong is zeroing in on craveable everyday essentials over special occasion pieces, buying \u201cnarrow and deep\u201d as he put it, into knits from The Row and Khaite, Sacai outerwear, Agolde denim and the tamer ends of Dries Van Noten\u2019s and Rick Owens\u2019 fashion spectrum.<\/p>\n
\n\tHe joked: \u201cYou know, we might not have the best party dresses, OK?\u201d But the mannequin sporting a naval-grazing Christopher Esber gown begs to differ.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe equation Dong and general merchandise manager David Rubinstein swear by is \u201c70 percent metrics and 30 percent magic,\u201d which appears to be clicking. Like their former boss Jeffrey Kalinsky in the late \u201890s, they\u2019re at the center of the Meatpacking District\u2019s post-COVID-19 renaissance with Acne Studios, Bottega Veneta, Saint Laurent and more popping up all around.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tThe Row at Two: Minds.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Two: Minds<\/p>\n
\n\tWhen Dong got the lease to 34 Gansevoort a little more than five years ago, he admitted \u201cit was dumb luck a little bit. And to see where the street is right now, I believe it\u2019s the new Rodeo Drive because the square footage is very small and everybody\u2019s fighting to get it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tNot so lucky was Two: Minds Miami, which closed last year. Summing up his outlook on the failed venture, Dong borrowed a baseball metaphor from his father Jimmy, Two: Minds\u2019 unofficial mascot who ushers in potential shoppers off the sidewalk: \u201cIf you\u2019re not taking swings at the mound, then you\u2019re not in the game. Sometimes you miss, sometimes you hit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tJesse Dong (left) in the Paradise Zero Collection 1 campaign.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Paradise Zero<\/p>\n
\n\tDong is equally passionate about sports as he is retail, which is why he decided to launch a men\u2019s athletic apparel line, Paradise Zero, in July.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cIt was probably the scariest thing I\u2019ve ever done,\u201d he admitted, \u201cbecause I was thinking to myself \u2018How can I be in fashion, be an athlete and then offer a bad product?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tDrawing on his experiences as a wrestler and 24-hour gym-bro style, fits were kept trim so Dong could wear, say, a pair of training shorts ($98) with a matching black quarter zip ($155) to workout in between market appointments in Paris.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tParadise Zero Collection 1<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Paradise Zero<\/p>\n
\n\tLuckily, there won\u2019t be much sweating as Collection 1 hinges on a techy grid fabric that\u2019s cool to the touch and dries in five minutes. The second collection, coming in November, prioritizes warmth with cashmere and merino base layers.<\/p>\n
\n\tWhile Dong is developing Paradise Zero as a separate business, it\u2019s carried by Two: Minds and available online as well as through Fwrd. Most recently, Equinox picked it up for five of its locations.<\/p>\n
\n\tAs for whether he\u2019ll be taking another swing at replicating Two: Minds elsewhere, Dong said right now he just wants New York to be the best it can be. \u201cAnd I\u2019m not sure more is better. I think perfecting what you have is where it\u2019s at.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tParadise Zero Collection 1<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Paradise Zero<\/p>\n
#Minds #Store<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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