New York Is Reportedly Getting a Mini Erewhon
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/erewhon-1-090225-9e30ada198af4d80a234e5f50462054f.jpg)
NEED TO KNOW
- New York City is rumored to get the first Erewhon outside of California via a private padel club
- The news first broke on a business newsletter titled Feed Me
- Residents of the neighborhood have already expressed that they do not want any potentially rowdy entertainment venues added to the area, highlighting the rise of traffic congestion and noise that will soon follow
New York City is rumored to be joining the Erewhon craze, but there’s a hefty price tag on the required membership.
On Tuesday, Sept. 2, Feed Me creator Emily Sundberg broke the news that Kith CEO Ronnie Fieg will be opening a private padel club at 120 Leroy Street in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan. Per the floor plans observed by Sundberg, the club will reportedly have its own micro-Erewhon and restaurant called the Living Room, which will be run by the owners of Cafe Mogador.
According to Sundberg, the boutique Erewhon will be remain open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will cost members a $36,000 initiation fee and $7,000 in annual dues – fitting of the luxury grocery store’s brand and ethos.
Kith and Erewhon did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Jay L Clendenin/Getty
While many New Yorkers (who can afford the price tag) may welcome the Los Angeles staple, residents of the West Village neighborhood have already demonstrated their lack of support for a private padel club.
As reported by Curbed back in March, protesters bombarded a state liquor license meeting with picket signs that read, “No Rooftop Restaurant” and “No Private Padel.”
The complaints were based around issues of traffic congestion and noise quality. Residents reportedly wrote letters stating that “a rooftop venue with padel courts, alcohol, and loud music/live DJ all day until 12 a.m. every night of the week is not at all in line with the character of this area” and highlighted there will be an increase in “noise, drunken rowdiness and crime” throughout the esteemed Manhattan neighborhood.
The rooftop bar and restaurant part of the build was ultimately scrapped, though residents continue to protest additions to the venue location at all, specifically the allegedly planned “stadium lighting” and the expected “bullet-style noise.”
Erewhon CEO Tony Anitoci first teased a New York Erewhon location in a 2021 interview with Curbed, in which he said, “We are looking at New York City; it’s definitely on the plate.”
The grocery chain, frequented by A-list celebrities including Nara Smith, Heidi Klum and Bella Hadid, and made infamous for its $23 smoothies, currently has 12 locations across California.
Credit to Nypost AND Peoples
