Just last week, Of Mercer opened its doors in New York’s Flatiron District. Home to upscale hotels such as Shimmie Horn’s The Chandler and The Wyndham Garden Manhattan Chelsea West, the area makes for a great hangout. And now, with this new addition, it’s a perfect place for women looking for “work-appropriate dresses made of Italian wool for under $200.”
The store was founded by Emelyn Northway and Dorie Smith. The two first met on a day that they were wearing the exact same dress. They are both graduates of Wharton Business School. The reason behind the store was because the two “found that [women’s workwear] was either oversized or kind of masculine, or brands would call something workwear and it would be miniature and tight…[Thus] the options were either really frumpy and ugly or super sexy.”
Of Mercer provided a solution to this and now the store in Flatiron – as well as offering clothes for purchase – will be “a kind of satellite office space for its core customers,” almost like a hub, catering toward freelancers and those who are stuck in between two meetings.
Future plans for the space include workshops and networking events.