Land of Nod Lands in NYC

Jennifer Marks -- Home Textiles Today, 12/3/2012 2:00:00 AM

NEW YORK - The Land of Nod has opened its first pop store - perhaps a sign of things to come as the multichannel retailer of infant and kids home furnishings looks to roll out addition brick-and-mortar stores in the next five years.
     "We hope to come to New York with a permanent store," said Michelle Kohanzo, managing director, The Land of Nod. "We need more stores. But not hundreds of stores. We'll be focused on key markets."
      The company currently operates four physical stores, doing the majority of its selling online and by catalog.
     The 3,200-square-foot pop-store is located in New York's Soho neighborhood at 136 Prince St. between West Broadway and Wooster Street. It will operate through Dec. 31. The store is filled with exclusive assortment of children's toys - the first time the retailer has created its own toy collection - and holiday décor, including home textiles. Weekly events include book readings and DIY crafts such as puppet making. On site holiday gift boxing will also be available.
     This fall, The Land of Nod completely refreshed its home textiles selection. The focus is on new techniques and global patterns. Most of the line was produced in India and Portugal.
     "The real gravitation is toward nostalgia, but doing it in a new way," Kohanzo told HTT.
     Going forward, The Land of Nod expects to refresh about 30% of the collection each season: spring, fall and holiday.
     Many of the designs are developed in collaborations with independent artists, a point the retailer is now emphasizing in its marketing.

This fall, the retailer replaced 100% of its textiles assortment, some of which appears in the photos at the left. This season marks the first time the company developed its own toy lines, seen above.

     "We're doing a lot more artist call-out than before - telling the story," said Kohanzo. She added the company is also doing more interaction with consumers through social media and recently added a gift-finder to its web site.
     While The Land of Nod did see a sales dip during the worst of the recession, it was not has heavily impacted as many other retailers, she said.
     "People are always willing to spend on their kids first," she added. "Babies are always being born, and kids are always growing up."

Michelle Kohanzo, with a plush toy from The Land of Nod collection.