ODD. New York, the cutting edge boutique at 164 Ludlow St., is going to be leaving the Lower East Side after almost five years.
The store was opened in 2012 by Judson Harmon, the young model and fashion designer. In a press release today, the startup company announced plans to move the brick-and-mortar store next year. A cryptic statement noted that ODD. had become “more than just a place to shop for clothes and will be expanding to provide a larger platform for the company’s new, soon-to-be-announced endeavors.”
Harmon said:
The Ludlow location was the incubator and birthplace for much of our concept which has evolved, or rather transformed, tremendously over the past 5 years. I started my business when I was 19, and I am taking with me what I’ve learned in this location to take on a new adventure in a new space with new energy. My ultimate goal is to start fresh and expand on my concept that has grown to include artist collaborations and exhibitions, and given that I had started my business online, the move to a new space will open new doors (literally), that will allow us to continue experimenting but in a more relaxed environment.
We’re told that Harmon decided to look outside the Lower East Side for a larger space because the neighborhood’s commercial properties mostly can’t accommodate larger businesses. The vast majority of available spaces are in century-old tenement buildings.
The building at 164 Ludlow St. is owned by Michael Forrest, who is also board chairman of the Lower East Side Partnership. “On the one hand we are sad to see ODD. leave Ludlow Street and the Lower East Side because they have been a great tenant and contributor to the cultural fabric of the LES,” said Forrest. “But on the other hand, it is wonderful to see a small business thrive on Ludlow Street and ‘incubate’ in the LES and then grow and expand and move on to their next phase.”
Josh Frank of Misrahi Realty is handling the marketing of the 1800 square foot space (including ground floor and basement.)
