JASON SCOTT OPENS TRIBECA FLAGSHIP

Less than two years after luxury basics brand Jason Scott entered the world of brick-and-mortar retailing with an outpost in New York’s Greenwich Village, company founder Jason Scott (Mandler) has upped the ante – opening a second and considerably larger NYC location, this one at 102 Franklin Street in ever-trendy TriBeCa. The gorgeous 2,000-square-foot, bi-level space (which also houses the company’s headquarters) is not just a beautiful showplace for Scott’s line of well-constructed men’s knitwear, t-shirts, and hoodies (retails from $65-$200); it is also a home for his newer women’s collection. (The ratio, says Scott, is about 70-30 in favor of men’s.)

Most of all, with its beautiful “living room” complete with sofa, TV, bar and working fireplace, and its front-room matcha bar, the new shop is a space both serious shoppers and residents will feel completely comfortable in. “Even when we opened the Village store, I was dreaming of a second location. And like that store, I wanted to find a space I could feel emotionally connected to as soon as I saw it, which was the case here,” says Scott, who spent a lot of 16-hour days doing the construction himself. “We wanted to have a space that felt like a home, were people could really come out and not only shop but just enjoy the space itself. We work around the dining room in front, but it’s equally great if a customer wants to sit there and have a cup of coffee.”

Mandler adds that TriBeCa is the perfect location for him. “We’re right near a lot of similar men’s fashion brands such as Steven Alan and Rag & Bone,” he notes. “And we’re really geared towards a local, neighborhood clientele, and, as with the West Village store, we hope to increase the number of repeat customers. But we also expect to get a fair amount of visitors, especially since we’re not that far from the 9/11 memorial.”

Blessed with this larger, more flexible space, Scott is thinking about holding events, panel discussions and other community-focused activities in the back room, as well as considering collaboration with other brands. (He sells Frame denim and Garrett-Leight sunglasses, but no other vendors).  But his end goal remains the same: to expand the Jason Scott brand. “My big dream is to not only still be around in 20 years, but maybe have 30 stores,” says Scott.  “I’m in it for the long run.”