Printemps is not retail, it's hospitality

Plus: Shoppable bars, pH-balanced matcha, a fully flossed fascia and more NYC tour highlights.

Afternoon,

Special letter today. I’m out on Spring Break. Back to regular programming next week. So this is the perfect occasion to recap the inaugural GOOD THINKING NYC brand tour.

And late send because Substack hasn’t figured out mobile letter editing (what century is this?) This is a long email and gets cut off. Open it in the app/browser. What’s in store:

• Printemps: Don’t call it retail, call it hospitality.

• 12 Matcha: TikTok viral but based on quality.

• The Floss: Fascia flossing will be huge. Recovery is the next craze.

• Happier Grocery: The power of good private label.

• Alex Mill: Nailing the basics means you rise to the top.

• Senti Senti: K-Beauty is popping off.

• Telfar: Sensation and subversive. And true to brand, throughout.

• Polène: Why your brand book ‘muses’ to be thrown out.

• Edikted: Easily the most shopped brand in SoHo. Watch this space.

• Tiny Zaps: Challenging an industry and making memories.

• Quarters: Is it a bar? Is it a showroom? Both.

• OtherShip: Contrast therapy and N/A mecca.

• Gap: Finally seeing some of the strategy in-store. Almost there.

• Andy Jackson: So much talent, so much fun.

Now, let’s dive in.

PRINTEMPS (TRAVEL)

We kicked things off with special early access to Printemps. Read: private entrance, zero crowds for the full first hour. Delightful! My takeaways:

1. I’m fascinated and impressed with how much Printemps has leaned into Substack ‘influencers.’ This will be big in retail/fashion launches going forward.

2. Their hospitality game is strong! And a good strategy for keeping locals coming back regularly. And makes them so much bigger than ‘retail’. I’d include their ‘spa’ in this hospitality bucket.

3. Their commitment to the spaces that people want to take photos—bathrooms and changing areas—should be studied by every retail brand. Hotels have known this for ages. Retail needs to reframe its views. Shitty changing space won’t cut it.

4. Love that they kept the good bones in the lobby shoe showroom. But perhaps was more impressed with the beauty hallways. They took what would, traditionally, be a pretty undesirable space, and gave it huge wow-factor.

5. They get my newness rant. 25% of the products are new to the US and are only available there. Super smart. Not exclusive to them but I was excited by the water-activated peptides by Onélogy. Speaking of newness, my one recc: They should have a little bit more Bon Marche energy with the shop-in-shop / pop-up areas. It goes to newness but in a big ‘draw me in’ way. Bon Marche’s has massive return power, and that’s what makes it so successful.

I could have included 50 tile close-ups.

12 MATCHA (F&B)

12 Matcha was only 2 weeks old when we stopped in. The line was there to remind you that they’ve figured out how to build TikTok hype. But the hype was justified. The staff is lovely. The matcha was delicious. Takeaways:

1. They are product-first. The charcoal water tanks are not just captivating, they are functional. They use the charcoal to balance the pH of the water to make the alkalinity perfectly balanced with the bitterness of the matcha (they worked with Cornell on it—fun!).

2. They get spectacle. They had various stations for the barista to make matchas. You could stand there and film the whole process. And many, many, many people did.

3. There’s a little bit of extra exclusivity built in. Downstairs, they do tastings. The room is a glass box, so you can get a nice amount of FOMO while having your matcha.

The charcoal water tanks were very cool

THE FLOSS @ SKY TING (SILVERS/SPORT)

It’s no secret that I’m a fascia flossing evangelist. Bon, the founder of The Floss, made everyone on the tour a convert. We flossed knees, hips, backs, shoulders, you name it. The takeaways:

1. As the world becomes more ‘weight lifting’ obsessed, there will be an increasing awareness of our muscle and our fascia, which doesn’t just wrap the muscle but is within the fibers of the muscle. This is wellness that’s made for today.

2. Beyond weightlifting, this fits into the Silver ‘longevity’ space perfectly. If you think contrast therapy got hot fast, this will do the same.

3. Bon, the founder of The Floss, was advising us on everything from old college knee injuries to carpal tunnel to lower back pain. Basically, everything ‘chronic’ that people of every age struggle with. This will be offered in all the one-shop wellness centers popping up because it works. In his guest letter for

   Feed Me
   Joe Holder said, “Recovery is the hottest new thing in the [wellness/sports] market.”

Bonnie's wisdom was a real highlight.

McNALLY’S BOOKSTORE (CULTURE)

McNally’s is the quintessential bookstore you’ve been missing for a decade. It’s also the new template for Barnes & Noble’s return-to-glory strategy. I’ve written about the re-rise of reading dozens of times, so it felt like a must-see. Takeaways:

1. They’ve befriended the right crowd. McNally’s has been smart about partnering with the right influencers on Substack and TikTok to ride the growing wave of reading-obsessed Gen-Z and Millennials.

2. They’ve positioned themselves as a culture leader. McNally’s operates more like an influencer than a business. And other businesses want to partner with them.

3. They recently announced a new festival and one-off events for titles that aren’t brand new. The goal is to disrupt the traditional book marketing cycle—fascinating.

HAPPIER GROCERY (F&B)

We stopped by Happier Grocery for lunch. I’ve written a lot about the private-label grocery opportunity; these guys do it well. It was mobbed in there. Lots to discover in both the food aisles and the beauty section. Takeaways:

1. Basics made beautiful. The branding is great. It’s simple, iconic, and honestly elevates ‘supermarket sushi’ in a way all brands should be looking at. Feels like Erewhon but not as health/biohacking obsessed and more food-focused.

2. The beauty section was a great size for discovery. Erewhon has SO much, the overwhelm is real. Bigger doesn’t always mean better. Had not heard of Noén, that was a fun find.

3. I love that they work with community fridges.

So simple. So good.

ALEX MILL (RETAIL)

We turned the corner for our next stop at Alex Mill. I love what these guys are building. They’ve had a number of good social campaigns that have been fun. I was eager to see the brand in person. While we were there, fan of the letter (crazy, right?!), Mickey Drexler stopped in. Mickey’s son founded Alex Mill. The legends are true; he’s a gem. We talked product, scarcity, merchandising, the critical importance of detail, and personalisation. We covered it all. Takeaways?

1. Alex Mill is a great example of people’s desire for quality basics at a good price. They aren’t in a race to the bottom. Good quality products and fair prices work.

2. Their ‘in good company’ strategy with beloved legacy brands positions them well for AI’s love of ‘trust’. It’s a retail 101 strategy that will make a comeback. I bought these Sesa loafers. I walked around in them at Design Week Milan for 10 hours straight. My new favorite shoe.

3. I adore their hand-painted bag personalisation. We met the chap painting the bags. A lovely human. (Who also makes his own painted bags that are rad). They could do a lot with this story. A hand-painted dopp kit is high on my wishlist. Human experiences will be the antidote to AI.

4. It’s head-to-toe shopping that all pairs well with half your wardrobe. As ‘recession thinking’ hits, we’ll see a return to ‘capsule wardrobes.’ But consumers don’t want the vanilla version from 2010s. Alex Mill is well-positioned.

So lovely meeting Mickey in person.

SENTI SENTI (WELLNESS & BEAUTY)

Senti Senti is a one-stop shop for all things Korean skincare. Takeaways:

1. The place was packed. Korean skincare is BOOMING. Giant K-Beauty stores are opening in London. There are a bunch in Milan. Kelley Liu, the creator of Song of Skin, that huge in the K-Beauty space, is hosting a K-Beauty ‘hotel’ in NYC. Her pop-ups feature tons of brands and are always huge—expect mayhem.

2. This store was a lesson in quality staff. The employees knew the inventory back to front. People were calling out skincare issues, and the dude on the floor was just pointing to things, giving a reason. The hauls were testament to his knowledge.

3. The mediums of Korean skincare dwarf Western options. From exosome-packed powder masks to dual-face mists. It was like taking people to a candy store.

Kirsten’s haul. Of course, she couldn’t wait to open the exosomes mask.

TELFAR (RETAIL /TECH)

We swung into Telfar. The store is incredible and pushes things. Felt very true to the brand. Takeaways:

1. The store is stunning, but it’s also interesting. Their ‘bag bar’ nods to the Chinatown location but in an elevated and subversive way. Choose your colorways, size, and they pull out the bags for you. Down the road, the new HommeGirls store plays on its Chinatown in a different but interesting way with a functional dry cleaners rack. Both interesting ways to be very location specific.

2. The entrance has a huge digital screen that projects both brand content and internal CCTV footage, so you see yourself on screens throughout the store. Obviously, there’s a bigger message here.

3. The space doubles as a studio. They have a huge cyc in the back lounge area. Recently, they did a ‘street casting’. People came in, the team watched the walks from the cameras, and then cast their next shoot—fun.

4. Speaking of the ‘close friends’ trend, Telfar has its own. But like most things, they have flipped it on its head. They "have a ‘Bag Security Program’—a 24-hour window where anyone can pre-order their iconic Shopping Bag in any style. The twist: it prioritises previous customers. It's democratic in theory but hierarchical in practice. A waitlist for the right to wait in line.”

Apparently I stopped taking photos by the time we arrived

POLÈNE (Z’S)

Naturally, on the walk up Broadway, we had to stop in. Takeaways:

1. The quality of the product is great. But the price point is reasonable. The store would never give that away. The store interiors feel like the bag is 4x the price. Making the value feel huge.

2. The audience was diverse. A huge group walked in with Ediked bags (aka Alphas). A lot of foreign families. It was a testament to the fact that audiences aren’t as homogenous as the old ‘muse’ model. Any brand book that tell you you have one ‘muse’ should be thrown out IMO.

3. There was a laser cutter in the entrance. It’s huge. It uses scraps to make bag charms. But it was off, and took nearly 20mins to turn on. Brands love ideas like this, but they rarely work. Either should be running or not there. It’s a perpetual challenge with these types of ‘ideas’. Another example of designers who don’t get retail. It should have been in the back as a fun customization with purchase.

EDIKTED (ALPHAS)

The number of Edikted bags we saw in SoHo was insane. It outnumbered every other brand 10 to 1. Takeaways:

1. This is the Forever 21 of today. Or the new Brand Melville. Walk through here.

2. The ‘sexy coquette’ vibe was infused into every bit of product.

3. Unsurprisingly, the brand is huge on campus and at Coachella.

4. You’re going to hear a lot more from this brand.

   Casey Lewis
   says: “Edikted, which has quickly and quietly emerged as one of Gen Z’s favorite retailers, is more than doubling its physical retail presence in 2025. They’re opening stores in five major Simon malls, including King of Prussia and The Galleria in Houston.”

TINY ZAPS (CULTURE/TRAVEL)

What better way to end the day than with a permanent memory? We stopped in at Tiny Zaps, a tattoo studio/brand that’s working to disrupt the industry by making tattoos more approachable. Takeaways?

1. I saw no less than 3 people get their first tattoo. They have really mastered approachability across everything from the bookings, the staff, to the process.

2. They have worked with tons of illustrators to build up a very cool and unique book of flash tats. Tiny tats aren’t a new trend, but Gen-Z loves them and refers to them as ‘charms.’ And they have hit the vibe just right with their choices.

3. They are now working with Kimpton hotels to do pop-ups where they have developed local flash per hotel location for people to get ‘holiday souvenir tattoos’. Their first one was packed out. Genius idea.

Three people got tats!

QUARTERS (DRUGS & BOOZE)

Quarters was our final stop. It’s a shop, meets showroom, meets bar. Takeaways:

1. Quarters is a ‘shoppable bar.’ The vision that I created for this in my head didn’t match the experience. As can often be the case for me, I created a vision of the idea in my mind. The glassware and lamps were sold on shelves but were not integrated to the ‘bar’ or menu as I’d conjured in my head.

2. The menu was all wine and wine cocktails. But interestingly, did not emphasize natural.

3. The space is beautiful. I’d go back, but not for the idea, just for the nice lighting.

Great lighting, I will say.

NOT ON TOUR

We PACKED it in on the tour but missed a couple places I wanted to hit while in the city.

GAP

Kirsten and I stopped in at Gap’s new flagship in Flatiron. Takeaways:

1. This was the first time I saw some of the good work they are doing in the marketing department coming into store. It felt like good old Gap.

2. There were a lot of retail fundamentals like flow and merchandising that made it clear that whoever designed the store likely doesn’t get how people shop. It looked and felt better than it shopped.

3. The changing areas were sad. Visit Printemps to get why this is a miss.

4. Zero perspective on the mannequin styling. This could be a great Zac moment.

5. They emphasized the wrong things. The iconic t-shirt bar was hidden downstairs. The Puck’s Lauren Sherman said: “GapStudio, designed by Zac Posen, launched in earnest today….The clothes, however, are… not right. Nobody wants a denim trench, or a too-purple navy blue bubble skirt (even if it’s cute) from the Gap. You know what they want? A t-shirt. Fetishize the t-shirt. Uniqlo is eating Gap’s lunch because they know that high-quality basics are their stock and trade.” Couldn’t agree more. Nearly there, though. Kirsten bought some very cute pants.

Why is the tee bar downstairs?

OTHERSHIP

Sunday at 8am we rolled into OtherShip for guided contrast therapy with a side of Sound Bath. Takeaways:

1. Loved it. I’m a sucker for contrast therapy (sauna / cold plunge) and an even bigger sucker for a sound bath. The combination was glorious. The guides were great.

2. Yes, there were a lot of tech bros, but it was a real mix. It says more about tech bros that they are drawn to this than it does about OtherShip.

3. On their site, they are explicit about this being a place to socialize without alcohol. Interesting and smart.

4. The journey included aromatherapy. They smartly emphasized their ‘signature scent’, which they sold in a myriad of formats in the lobby.

5. The guided aspect of the ‘journey’ felt experiential without feeling cheesy. This will become a standard for most contrast therapy. But ‘guided’ for all wellness could become the form as we take the medical benefits of wellness more seriously.

ANDY JACKSON

While in town, we jumped at the chance to get some new headshots with the lovely, kind, and insanely talented Andy Jackson. Such a fun Saturday afternoon.

So much fun

THE END

Huge thanks to our content team for capturing the day for us to share it with you all. Jerry on video and Derek on stills. They were incredible and so fun to spend the day with. And the most enormous thanks to our producer, Belle, who made magic happen and whose mastery of a spreadsheet had me giddy with Virgo joy.

It was a fantastic day and a great trip. So many good things were seen, tasted, and tried. But the best part for me was the company. I met so many lovely people. It’s very humbling that people trusted me with their busy schedules. And a real joy to get to know everyone.

We’re considering Milan, Berlin, London, and Seoul next. Want to join? Tell me what strikes your fancy and when.

That’s all, folx.

-Chris

If you read this and liked it, that little heart is there for that. The algo and I appreciate it.