With my seasoned eye for such things, I instantly recognized the saleswoman, Katie Kumpf, as a fellow platinum blonde.It is at this point that we can tell that whether she bought anything or not, Cintra probably tried on every single one of Edon Manor's most impractical and outlandish heels with glee. What else is one supposed to do on a slushy, cold Manhattan afternoon?
“Are those for sale, too?” I asked about a shelf full of mismatched Royal Albert-esque bone china cups, saucers and sugar bowls.
“No! We just sit in the chairs and have tea with them,” she said, all drollery and flounce. I admired her kicky spirit and theorized that Goldie Hawn must have given Ms. Kumpf’s mother the evil eye when she was in utero. I related the sad story of Phi, and within minutes my bag was undone, and Ms. Kumpf was hobbling around the shop in one of my creepers.
Full of droll flights of fancy and thoroughly illogical footwear, Edon Manor, it turns out, flouts the suggestion of nearly every retail analyst who prescribes that the recipe for retail success in the coming years will be a combination of practical,comforting, easily understood merchandise at value driven prices, proving that, at least when it comes to New York, the predictions of retail analysts often aren't worth the slush you would kick aside to get to the front door of such an establishment. It sounds like the kind of place that still keeps New York from becoming a giant strip mall, so let's hope it doesn't wind up going the way of PHI.
Critical Shopper | Edon Manor: Trying On Shoes in Someone Else’s Dream by Cintra Wilson (NYTimes)
Edon Manor 391 Greenwich Street at Beach Street, Tribeca








