Consumers everywhere are growing weary of soulless, imitation concept shops that lack any sense of narrative or excitement. The monotony, in fact, appears to be intensifying.
On any given mall corridor or high street, brands blur into one another. Shops feature identical color palettes, similar designs, matching merchandise and materials – likely produced in the same factories across Asia.
Individually, none of these elements is problematic, but collectively they create a drab, uninspiring shopping journey. Little surprise, then, that markdowns have become the sole draw for shoppers.
Unsurprisingly, we—along with countless others—have quickly become enamored with Roman and Williams Guild, which recently debuted in a former Citibank location at the Soho fringe, at the intersection of Mercer and Howard Streets in New York City.
Spanning two floors and 7,000 square feet (650 square meters), this retail venture defies simple classification; it is neither purely a shop nor a conventional concept store in the worn-out sense of that term.
We are almost drawn to label it with another cliché: emporium. Yet in this instance, that vintage word might actually fit, because the Guild evokes cherished indoor food markets, lively halls, souks, bazaars, and historic merchant warehouses brimming with treasures from far-off lands.
Still, the Guild feels thoroughly contemporary and bears little resemblance to any traditional bazaar or market. It overflows with cosmopolitan elegance, intriguing discoveries, glassware, textiles, contemporary furniture, and antique gems—so, indeed, it functions as a furniture store. Yet it also houses a restaurant, a serene spot featuring Emily Thompson’s wildflower shop, and a Phaidon creative arts library.
In the furniture showroom, the designers’ own Founding Collection forms the bedrock, comprising 40 furniture pieces and 15 lighting fixtures, many of which began as elements of their interior design commissions.
The dining component is the French café La Mercerie, a collaboration between the Stephen Starr Restaurant Group and Roman and Williams. Chef Marie-Aude Rose, previously at Spring in Paris, will shortly offer a complete menu of French comfort classics for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. During the initial weeks, only coffee and pastries were served.
Roman and Williams Guild is owned by Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch, who also founded the celebrated New York interior design practice Roman and Williams Buildings and Interiors. Their projects for Hollywood celebrities and hospitality clients are diverse, cross-disciplinary, lavish, adaptable, and inventive.
Their design fingerprints can be found at venues such as the Standard Highline, The Ace Hotel New Orleans, the Chicago Athletic Association, and Lafayette restaurant in New York.
We are convinced that Roman and Williams Guild exemplifies the kind of concept with a promising future. It possesses an authentic, organic unity—rather than an artificial, contrived assembly of offerings aimed at a particular demographic.
Here, that natural coherence springs from Standefer and Alesch’s personal tastes, passions, and creative visions. Their output feels harmonious and inviting because it is infused with genuine enthusiasm. Patrons, diners, and visitors pick up on that energy and are drawn to engage with it.
In a piece about the Guild, Standefer remarked that New York still brims with creative vitality and that retail in the city isn’t dead—'it’s just a bit boring.' We concur and extend a warm welcome to Roman and Williams Guild as part of the emerging wave of lively, un-boring retail. — Tuija Seipell.
