Space Ninety 8

Williamsburg, 2014

This morning, Oscar and I took a spin around the new Space Ninety 8 store on North 6th St. (translation: Urban Outfitters' Brooklyn concept store.) It was so trippy...where are we? When I moved to Williamsburg ten years ago, I knew it was changing, but I'm not quite sure I could have fathomed the extent of it.

Yesterday I was wandering around noticing how much the demographic has shifted. You see a lot of off-duty models sipping $12 cold pressed juices, dog walkers with their pack of 6 French bulldogs, European tourists Intagramming things, nannies with double strollers...

I still love it (maybe because I am now the proud owner of one of those double strollers), but it does make you feel nostalgic and a little bit off your game sometimes. Earlier today, at my local coffee shop, there was a group of British students on a school trip interviewing the owner about the neighborhood. "Why is it such a draw for artists?' they asked. He basically told them it hadn't been since the '90s...all the artists had moved to Bushwick.

Obviously, things are going to change even more when the Domino Sugar Factory is redeveloped. Which is why I loved checking out these gorgeous photos by Paul Raphaelson of it in its current state of ruin. I'll be interested to check it out on May 10th, when the artist Kara Walker's installation opens there. So there is still at least a bit of art around these parts, for now.