The Carriage House Meets Jay Gurewitsch of Arcadia
Meet Jay Gurewitsch, owner of Chelsea’s elegant-yet- affordable gift shop, Arcadia. Gurewitsch has traveled far and wide to find souvenirs that embody his motto, “simple is beautiful.” He is known, among both New York locals and far-from-home tourists, for his whimsical and exclusive international products.
Arcadia
228 8th Avenue
New York, NY 10011
Tell me a bit about the history of Arcadia.
When I decided to go into this business I said, “Do we really need another gift store in Manhattan?” If you want all the brand names you can go to Bloomingdales and if you go to gift stores in Manhattan you’ll see 99% of the same product. At Arcadia we do have some mainstream products because they’re requested by our customers, but 90% of what we specialize in are rare pieces from around the world.
What are some of your favorite items that you sell?
It’s hard to say because we consider all of our pieces to be unique and special. But we just got in the book “Go the F**k to Sleep,” by Adam Mansbach. The book is very accurate — especially for anyone with children under the age of 12.
Another great item is the Zipper Bowl by Lilach Lotan. It’s literally a white, porcelain bowl with a zipper on it. And Roger Wood is another great artist who makes one-of-a-kind clocks from old watch and clock parts.
Do you live in the area? How has Chelsea transformed in the past 11 years?
I’ve lived in Chelsea for 15 years now and it’s very different now than when I first moved here. At that time, there were parts of Chelsea that didn’t feel safe at night. Today, it’s not like that at all – I am always explaining to tourists that Chelsea streets are safe at any hour…day or night.
What’s your favorite thing about Chelsea?
The park at the General Theological Seminary is great and very few people know about it.
What’s your favorite place for lunch in the neighborhood?
I’m a big fan of Nisos – it’s a nice Greek restaurant right down the street.
How did you come up with your slogan, “simple is beautiful?”
The story behind the slogan comes from the last phase of my Bar Mitzvah Torah portion. The text was about how God doesn’t want your sacrifices and money — he just wants you to live a simple and ethical life. This phrase left an enormous impression on me. I applied it to my store because I don’t like to sell items that are complicated with instruction manuals. I want life to be simple because simple really is beautiful.
For more information on Carriage House or to set up a site visit, please feel free to contact me at JTurken@warburgrealty.com, call 212.24 House (4-6873) or visit the website at www.Carriagehouse24.com
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