CHELSEA SURPRISE: Could Barneys Re-Take Its Entire Original Chelsea Store?

Most New York shoppers were delighted to hear that Barneys New York would be returning to the Seventh Avenue building in Chelsea where it made its name, but, of course, there was a slight bit of disappointment in realizing that the new Chelsea Barneys, which is still a few years away, would be only a fraction of its original size. The previous women's store buildings on 17th Street have been owned and occupied by the Rubin Museum of Art (pictured above and beloe), which did not appear to be going anywhere, so only the part of the old Men's store that had been occupied by Loehmann's was available for Barneys —but that might change in the near future. The New York Post is reporting that The Rubin Museum has just contracted to sell its 45,000 square foot building for $60 million to Ashkenazy Acquisitions, which coincidentally owns the retail condo on Madison Avenue that is currently occupied by Barneys New York. Barneys itself was reportedly among the bidders, so there appears to be real interest from the chain in having a larger store in Chelsea than what was previously announced. There is no guarantee that the store will take over the newly available space next door, or even be offered it, but they certainly do already have a relationship with the landlord, and it would make a much grander homecoming if Barneys could really make the kind of statement there that its longtime customers remember. Keep your fingers crossed. A bigger downtown Barneys is no longer out of the question.

Barney’s homesick for 17th Street locale (NYPost)