The future of retail: Museum of Ice Cream to launch 25,000-square-foot NYC Soho flagship
Rendering courtesy of Museum of Ice Cream
After a celebrity-sprinkled Meatpacking District pop-up three-years ago drew raves and Instagram likes from Beyonce and Kim Kardashian, The Museum of Ice Cream (MOIC) will open a 25,000-square-foot “flagship” location at 558 Broadway in Soho. The three-story permanent paean to frozen dessert will feature 13 installations devoted to creating “IRL experiences” in New York; the museum calls it “the future of retail” in a press release–and given the number of vacant storefronts in the neighborhood, they could well be right.
The Museum of Ice Cream is the social media-friendly face of experience-based parent company Figure 8. Founded by Manish Vora and Maryellis Bunn (who has been called “The Millennial Walt Disney”), Forbes reports that the company has already partnered with brands like Sephora and Target and recently received $40 million in series A funding at a $200M valuation.
The MOIC has a location already open in San Francisco and expects doors will open on the NYC institution in late fall with tickets to go on sale October 9 and an early waitlist live on the website. Designed to be “a culturally inclusive environment and community, inspiring human connection and creativity,”–not to mention an Instagram-ready real estate move–the Soho storefront will entice visitors with a “Celestial Subway,” a sprinkle pool, a three-story slide and a giant “Queen Beehive,” among other multi-sensory delights.
A MOIC cafe and shop will offer an exclusive menu and retail items. According to Vora, the NYC flagship is the first of several that will launch in the U.S. and abroad over the next 18 months.
MOIC was represented by Current Real Estate Advisors Brandon Charnas and Adam Henick and the landlord, the Shemul Family, represented themselves in the transaction.
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