Hermès Designs Meatpacking Store for a New Generation

NEW YORK — Hermès wears its age and legacy with pride, but the luxury brand doesn’t dwell solely on its 182-year-old history. The 5,330-square-foot boutique opening Friday at 46 Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District is evidence of Hermès’ willingness to take a calculated risk on a location and toss some of its established store design principles out of the lead casement window. “Hermès has decided to explore new territory,” chief executive officer Axel Dumas said in an introductory letter about the unit. “Not long ago, you wouldn’t have mentioned Madison Avenue [where the brand’s men’s and women’s flagships are located] and the Meatpacking District in the same breath.” The two-level yellow brick-clad store on the corner of Gansevoort Street and Ninth Avenue sits across from a plaza at the intersection of those streets and Little West 12th. “This will be a high-traffic store. There will be a lot of first-time purchasers and tourists, locals buying gifts and businesspeople,” said Robert Chavez, president and ceo of Hermès USA. “Google’s headquarters is in the neighborhood. “I’ve spent many days observing the traffic patterns. I don’t think they’re going to change,” he continued. “I’ve known the neighborhood for a long time and watched it transform.

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