A Hub For Empowering Women

Empowering women through artisanal accessories, Ink + Alloy, a female-founded modern bohemian brand, is set to make its mark on the vibrant streets of Nolita in New York City. On October 7th, the brand unveiled its latest retail space at 239 Elizabeth Street, inviting shoppers to explore their unique self-expression through an extensive collection of handcrafted accessories.

Amid the challenges posed by the pandemic, Ink + Alloy deftly pivoted from wholesale to launch a successful direct-to-consumer (DTC) e-commerce store. The response was so positive that the brand expanded its presence across various channels, including Neighborhood Goods and Amazon. The opening of a store in Chicago earlier this year marked a significant step in Ink + Alloy’s evolution into a full-fledged omni-channel retailer.

Expanding Beyond E-Commerce & Wholesale

Gretchen Hollingsworth, founder and CEO of Ink + Alloy, emphasized the significance of this expansion, stating, “NYC has been a strong market of ours for several years, and we have been eagerly trying to get a store in the right area of the city. The relatively small Chelsea market display has been a complete success and exceeded our expectations within the first week in both new business to the brand and in-store sales. This gave us the confidence to launch our own brick-and-mortar location in the city.”

Leap, which recently raised $15 million to enhance its platform and continue aiding brands in managing their retail operations, is a partner for this store. The 500-square-foot space, designed by Leap’s Alexsandra Ziravac, exudes the essence of Ink + Alloy. Jon Levy, Senior Vice President of Brand Management at Leap, expressed satisfaction with the partnership, stating, “Bringing the Ink + Alloy business to NYC in physical retail has always been a desire for Ink + Alloy, and we’re proud that our platform enabled them to open a store in their biggest market on Elizabeth Street near world-class brands.”

The Store Experience

Upon entering the store, visitors are greeted by brand-specific tilework and vivacious striped walls, setting the stage for an immersive shopping experience. The meticulously handcrafted seed bead and upcycled brass product collections invite exploration.

The Ink + Alloy bracelet bar offers an interactive space for shoppers to curate and combine their own unique stacks that mirror their style. The brand reinforces its commitment to individual expression with enticing “stack and save” promotions and monthly in-store events. Additionally, a portion of every Ink + Alloy purchase goes directly to the non-profit Commit2Change, ensuring educational opportunities for young girls across India and Southeast Asia.

Ink + Alloy is far from the only digitally native brand opening stores, especially in the New York market. Herschel Supply, a brand known for its bags, recently opened a flagship in NYC’s SoHo. In addition, Leap currently has over 60 brands on its platform and 11 other Leap-operated stores in the SoHo and Nolita area, some of which include Naadam, Hey Harper, and Oliver Cabell.

The Vision For Retail Growth

Several other brands have used Leap as a stepping stone into the world of long-term leases and independently operated brick-and-mortar stores. Companies that have done this include Frank and Oak, Faherty, and UpWest, which has recently been opening stores beyond those it has with Leap.

Gretchen Hollingsworth shares Ink + Alloy’s long-term vision, “We hope to open more store locations and pop-ups utilizing our mobile retail stores, but we are excited to learn over the next few months from our Chicago and NYC stores and then develop a strong plan to build our brick-and-mortar presence using that information.”

Therefore, this store is just the beginning. Ink + Alloy envisions this venture as what will likely be more to come, with the hope of spreading their message of empowerment through more Ink + Alloy locations in the future.