When Beverly Nguyen first opened her namesake store, Beverly’s, it was April 2021. Formerly a fashion stylist, but also an avid cook, a consummate host and all-around social magnet, Nguyen was inspired by her Vietnamese-American roots and surrounding Chinatown neighbourhood to elevate the mainstays of everyday living.
In that temporary space, Nguyen displayed utilitarian metal ladles and other hardworking cooking tools sourced by the restaurant supply stores close by, clearly hurting from the pandemic, alongside her own brand of artisanal olive oils and design objects made by creative friends. Armed with Nguyen’s keen eye and good taste, the store unsurprisingly took off.
Two years on, and after presences uptown in both Rockefeller Center and Nordstrom, Nguyen has returned downtown with a more permanent iteration of Beverly’s, located on a stylish end of Orchard Street that straddles both Chinatown and the Lower East Side. In a space designed by Louis Rambert, who formerly worked with Rafael de Cardenas, the store is an enticing mix of high and low, that effuses a sense of discovery – a boon to anyone who misses the true act of shopping in real life.
‘My mission has always been about helping small business owners, creatives and craftspeople, and showcasing that they make things that people want to buy,’ Nguyen says. ‘That was working well during Covid, but now people have gone back to their normal life and so I’ve been more focused on how to slow things down and surprise people and make them want to discover stores and retail again without being online. I want people to come in and see how the designers [who have been here since the beginning] have evolved.’
Collaborating with Rambert and Yudai Kanayama of Serious Construction Company, Nguyen created a space that feels like an idealised New York apartment. The space is anchored by an industrial light sculpture and counter by Umberto Bellardi Ricci on one end, and flanked by a 90-inch photograph of a stallion, Nguyen’s Chinese zodiac animal, by Andrew Zuckerman.
Wooden chairs by Knoll and soft lighting by Flos and Louis Poulsen – all fixtures in Nguyen’s real home – bring a welcoming quality to the space, while a curated selection of pantry staples, cleaning brushes and cast iron pans are lovingly displayed alongside Murano drinking glasses by Laguna-B, handmade ceramics by Fefo Studios and oversized hand and feet patchwork pillows by John Sohn. Best of all is the burgeoning Beverly’s line of table linens and napkins, designed by Nguyen’s parents in California.
At its core, Beverly’s celebrates community, whether it’s the person who just happens to walk out with a piece by Christofle or a curious third generation local wandering in off the street.
Nguyen sums up, ‘I like people. You can’t have a shop like this without wanting to talk to strangers every single day. There is a connection with this neighborhood and the people who live here. My interest has always been about the Asian community and protecting the Chinatown neighborhood as well as small businesses. I’ve loved introducing people to the makers in this space. And it goes beyond just selling stuff and having a storefront. There’s a purpose.’
Beverly's
27 Orchard street
New York
NY10002
