Business

Annie Sez ‘Annex’ opens blocks away from shuttered Bensonhurst storefront

February 13, 2017 Meaghan McGoldrick
BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/Photo by Helen Klein
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Nearly two months after the longstanding duo of Annie Sez and Mandee closed at the corner of 18th Avenue and 64th Street, a lone Annie Sez Annex has popped up a few blocks over.

The second-coming of the store — which sits in a significantly smaller space than its former 24,033 square foot lot, which it shared with Mandee for more than 10 years — is located at 6806 18th Avenue, less than five blocks north of the now shuttered location.

News of the staple stores’ dual closing came late last year, and was followed up by an announcement that a “flexible-format” Target will replace the pair come this fall.

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The unique double-storefront space was home to Annie Sez and Mandee for over a decade. The stores announced their closing via signage posted both outside and inside in December of last year, explaining that the lease was ending and that “everything must go.”

However, a spokesperson with A & M (2015) LLC, the owners of the Mandee and Annie Sez brands, told Brooklyn Reporter earlier this year that “other Bensonhurst locations will be the home of the new Mandee and Annie Sez stores” as early as “the first quarter of 2017.”

According to Jan Harvey, director of marketing for Annie Sez, this new annex is just the start of an entirely new venture for the brand.

“Basically we’re looking at a new concept of smaller stores in busy neighborhoods where the merchandise would be hand selected for that location,” she told this paper. “That way, we can offer the very best value of any of our stores.”

The new Bensonhurst annex opened for business on Thursday, February 9 during Winter Storm Niko.

“This is a work in progress,” Harvey explained, noting that the brand’s plan is to expand even more within the borough and beyond. “It’s a brand new concept, and it’s one that is made special for each community.”

Typical Annie Sez storefronts, she said, are as large as 15,000 square feet. This first of many new annexes is under 5,000.

“Times are changing,” Harvey said. “This is an exciting opportunity for us, and we are so happy that the community is embracing it.”


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