Dutch design company Kikkerland launches its first retail venture in NYC

Mon, Nov 18 - Mon, Nov 18  2013

From humble beginnings in a houseboat on the Hudson River on the Upper West Side twenty years ago iconic Dutch design company Kikkerland will launch its first retail venture into brick and mortar this fall with a flagship store in the heart of Greenwich Village.

The Kikkerland shop will house the full range of Kikkerland designed goods, alongside bags, tabletop items, furniture, lighting, gardening products, bicycle accessories, pet accessories, and toys from small independent designers including China Young-Dubbel Duffle (CA), Aruliden (NY), Susan Bijl (NL), Confetti System (Brooklyn, NY), Tattly (Brooklyn, NY), Pat Kim (Brooklyn, NY), Chris Collicot (Brooklyn, NY), FormNation (NY), and Alissia Melka-Teichroew (NY). There will also be a roster of design events starting in the New Year, providing a hub for international designers to commune, inspire, and display their innovative products.

A houseboat on the Hudson river on the Upper West Side of Manhattan was the home of Jan van der Lande and Kazumi Hayama and it became the office for Kikkerland when the business was incorporated in 1992.

Designed by New York based Dutch designer Jan Habraken and his team at FormNation, the Kikkerland shop space is intended to capture the customer’s curiosity. Featuring custom-made peg boarded walls to display Kikklerland gadgets in utilitarian style, the architecture of the shop is based on materials and details quintessential to the Kikkerland style. The Kikkerland shop evokes excitement, with art like display units in the center of the floor to offer more intimate settings that tell a design story.

Kikkerland founder Jan Van der Lande explains, “For the past twenty years, Kikkerland has remained committed to creating, making, and marketing well designed products. While I began delivering Kikkerland orders personally by bicycle, I’m excited to see the company expand to our beautiful flagship store in The Village. Our shop makes even the most utilitarian gadget a delightful discovery.”

The Kikkerland shop is a collaboration with Kevin Brynan, the owner of Mxyplyzyk, a home- décor and specialty gift store that closed last year after 22 years of supplying the West Village with quirky objects. Brynan says, “Kikkerland and Mxyplyzyk emerged in the NY design scene around the same time, and I’ve long considered Jan an authority figure on selecting clever, enjoyable, and amusing design. I feel engrained in Greenwich Village and look forward to providing residents and visitors with accessible design and gifts under a different roof.”

With Van der Lande’s motto “Never give up your search for the miraculous” in mind, Kikkerland invites designers with small production runs and event proposals for the shop to contact them at info@kikkerland.com

The shop at 493 Sixth Avenue (between West 12th and 13th Streets) in Greenwich Village (phone 212-678-2250) will open Monday, November 18th, and be open Monday – Saturday 10am to 8pm, and Sunday 11am to 6pm. Items will range from $2 – $500.

For more information, images, private tours of the shop, and sample requests please contact Kate Williams of Pistol PR 917- 767-4297 kate@pistolpr.com