Gentle Monster to Fill Former REI Store in Soho
Gentle Monster, a South Korean eyewear brand, will lease 28,500 square feet across three levels at 295 Lafayette Street, the Puck Building. The space was previously occupied by REI for about 15 years. Kushner Companies owns the building; brokers from Cornelia Street Partners and RIPCO worked on the deal.
Gentle Monster, a South Korean eyewear label, is set to occupy 28,500 square feet across three levels at 295 Lafayette Street, the Puck Building. The Soho space had been held by REI for roughly 15 years before this lease.
Kushner Companies owns the property. Cornelia Street Partners and RIPCO were involved as brokers in the transaction.
The lease could change the retail mix around 295 Lafayette Street, affecting shoppers and neighboring businesses as a new eyewear brand takes over a space previously used by REI. It may draw a different type of foot traffic to the Puck Building and surrounding blocks. The deal could also influence how landlords and brokers approach large, multi-level Soho spaces. These effects are uncertain and may depend on how the store operates and how customers respond.