Barney's Co-op Opening with Simon Doonan from Heather Quinlan on Vimeo.

Barney’s Co-op Opening, Or 30 Seconds in Heaven with Simon Doonan

By on October 14, 2010 1:06 pm in Events, Shopping

Barney’s Co-op opened its doors with great fanfare today, welcoming not only Brooklyn fashionistas, but media ranging from New York Magazine to my bff, NY1’s fashion-forward Roger Clark. I was told Barney’s Creative Director and famed gadabout Simon Doonan would not have time to chat, but he insisted on speaking to the Brooklyn Heights Blog … for a few moments, at least. He’s a doll. The clothes are spectacular. The prices? Well, depends on your perspective. Either way, 30 seconds with Simon and Barney’s after the jump.

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  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com Claude Scales

    Sheesh! A bunch of tract-wielding kids draws 18 comments, and an exclusive Simon Doonan statement none? What’s this nabe coming to?

  • bklyn20

    Ther are 83 posts and counting on this on Brownstoner. A big zero here. Hmmmm

  • bklyn20

    Pls ignore the first of my 2 posts. Hey, now there are 2.

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com Claude Scales

    bklyn20: your copy editor is ever (well, almost) alert to remove duplicate posts.

  • bklyn20

    Thanks.

  • alanna

    this is HUGE! congrats for grabbing those 30 seconds, Heather. Kudos :)

  • alanna

    one more thing – does this store lack ramps so that those with strollers or disabled have difficulty entering? I’m more concered about the latter than the former – but considering the nabe, it’s hard to avoid the stroller brigade.

  • George Earl

    Good marketing quetion: Do those “just-looking-round” types with strollers end up spending as much on what Barney’s is selling as those of us with no kids? I kind of doubt it. Let’s make entry and employee welcomes as encouraging as you can. Word gets ’round fast in this “paid-well-but-not-married” neighborhood.

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com Claude Scales

    George: I don’t think “paid well but not married” is a good description of the Heights’ population. Apart from the students in the St. George and Brooklyn Law dorms, I think the majority of people living here are married, or are children living with parents. There are some affluent singles, but not nearly so many as a percentage of the population as you’ll find in Williamsburg, or the East Village, or the Upper East Side.

    The problem for Barney’s, as I see it, is getting affluent people who live here but work in Manhattan to shop for clothes here instead of near where they work.

  • Obama?

    Scales,

    Please don’t diminish the real danger cults pose to the weak-minded among us: “A bunch of tract-wielding kids” as you call them.

    Moreover, Simon Doonan maybe a great novelist, but more people need to read about facts that are affecting us all, not what’s going on in someone else’s flamboyant imagination.

  • http://heatherquinlan.com Heather Quinlan

    I’m in the enviable “single and living off dwindling savings” demographic of Brooklyn Heights. Will I browse Barney’s? Definitely. Will I buy? Not sure. Though in my carefree credit card years, I would’ve splurged on a sweater or two. I imagine there are plenty others who now fit that bill.

  • my2cents

    I think they put a Barneys Coop there to sell to the same “yoga milfs” (sorry if that offends anyone, but I am trying to be pithy) who frequent other independent and expensive shops like Bird, Dear Fieldbinder and Diane T which are all very fashion forward boutiques on Court and Smith. The stodgy Brooklyn Heights “Ann Taylor” crowd is only a tangential audience for this store, which seems to me to be more aimed at a well-heeled, younger, hipper, BOCOCA crowd.

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com Claude Scales

    my2: One of my parents’ favorite publications, Reader’s Digest, used to have a feature called “toward a more colorful vocabulary”. I think “yoga milfs” certainly fits that bill. Thanks!

  • Nancy

    While I will love to browse Barneys, I will be doing my shopping in the new Filene’s Basement, set to open on Fulton Street. I have never had a desire to spend $150 on a cotten tee shirt.

  • T.K. Small

    I cannot speak as to stroller access, but there is wheelchair accessibility. Being the Brooklyn hipster that I am (actually my GF who is also in a wheelchair wanted to take a look) we went to Barney’s late this afternoon. There is another door closer to Trader Joe’s which is street-level. The trick is getting the attention of someone inside to have the door unlocked. Although not ideal, it does work.

  • AEB

    Seems to me the Barney’s, due to its location, is only tangentially related to BH.

    I’m sure it’s makers, when planning it, didn’t think, “Hot dog! We’ll capture the Brooklyn Heights crowd!” (Well,maybe not “hot dog.”)

    To get cool purveyors, one must first be cool–or give evidence of an approaching cool infusion….

  • agdg

    Brooklyn Hts ain’t cool. I think AEB just acknowledged this reality. Yippee!

    Go Cobble Hill!