Group Effort

edited by Sheila Kim-Jamet -- Interior Design, 2/1/2006 12:00:00 AM

Antiques shops tend to cluster in New York. (East 60th and Duane Streets come to mind.) Still, when the snow is falling and the wind is howling, that's not quite the same as browsing under one roof. So Center44 on East 44th Street is stepping in with a 25,000-square-foot one-stop-shopping solution to antique and vintage furnishings and contemporary craft.

"New York has this mystique all its own, and most dealers can't break into the market except through prohibitively expensive shows," says dealer-turned-rep Paul Plumadore, who decided to launch the project with fellow rep Jim Tindell. Their 70 tenants at Center44 lease booths on a relatively affordable monthly or year-round basis. The spaces range from approximately 100 to 350 square feet—that's plenty of room for creating alluring vignettes.