ABERCROMBIE ANTAGONIST: The Touring Company To Bring Roadie Chic To Lower SoHo

Does Abercrombie & Fitch not have enough problems in Manhattan what with the bedbug issue and all? Now, a self proclaimed adversary is opening up down the street from its recently infested "Epic" Hollister flagship. The Touring Company (no website yet), a new retail concept, bills itself as the "Anti-Abercrombie" and is to feature authentic independent brands as well as classic American "heritage" brands like Wrangler, Woolrich and "possibly" Dickies. The company is headed by a former rock and roll touring executive, hence the name.

They plan to make quick work of the opening, taking possession of the entire 6,400 square foot building at 440 Broadway, between Howard and Grand streets on July 15th and opening barely two months later on September 10th, Fashion's Night Out. Is this a bit speedy, considering that some stores will easily take a year or more to transform far smaller spaces? Perhaps, but these are roadies we are talking about. They are able to set up an elaborate rock concert stage in a matter of hours, so a silly retail store should be duck soup, right?

As for their stated goal of clobbering Abercrombie and its ilk, The Touring Company is thus far an unknown quantity, so we don't yet know if they are a fabulous new retail concept or a pale imitation of The Cockpit a few blocks north in NoHo. If all goes well, however, we won't have long to wait.

The 'anti-Abercrombie' of retailing coming to NYC (Crain's via Racked)