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Women’s Wear Daily October 2003
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THE HIDDEN NOM
NEW YORK – Talk about going underground.
In direct opposition to how most retailers would set up shop,
the owners of the new store, Nom de Guerre, have opted for a
basement space with no signage at 640 Broadway.
“We like the idea that it’s kind of hidden,” said Harnsongkram,
one of the four partners of the new store, the others being Isa
Saalabi, Wil Whitney and Devon Ojas. Harnsongkram and Saalabi
also own ISA, a hipster boutique in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg.
Their subversive edge is reflected not only in their choice of
location – word is, the Black Panthers used to have meetings in
the building – but also in the name, the use of raw materials and
the apparel offerings.
The décor in the 750 squarefoot, windowless space in keeping
with its basement feel with polished concrete floors, brick and
cinder block walls and rough-hewn touches like a cash-wrap
area code made of poplar timbers and a steel and leather sofa.
“There is this underground-tunnel feel to the space, and we
were inspired by Army barracks,” said Harnsongkram. “We
didn’t want to change it too much … especially with its history
of the Black Panther meetings. The emphasis for us is on group
effort, solidarity and brotherhood.”...
This sensibility will manifest itself in their culling of works of
friends and artists whose design aesthetic reflects their own …
“What we’re really going for is high-end Army/Navy store with
an industrial, urban utility feel,” said Harnsongkram ...
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