Anthropologie seizes the entire Dey Street retail space

Quirky urban retailer Anthropologie has a lease out for 28,141 square feet at 195 Broadway, which would glom up the entire Dey Street corner retail space at the downtown office tower.

The McDevitt Co. represents Anthropologie and parent Urban Outfitters, which has signed a lease at 180 Broadway across the street.

If and when this deal is completed, it would leave just over 11,000 square feet on two levels at 195 Broadway for another retailer along Fulton Street.

The 1,052,861-square-foot tower was once the headquarters of AT&T and has multiple huge columns in its landmarked lobby area, where new retail space is being created and has been approved by the city.

Brokers had suggested that to reduce the loss factors from the columns, it would make a nifty one-retailer store with mini-departments.

Bradley Mendelson, Alan Schmerzler and Steven Soutendijk of Cushman & Wakefield are representing the L&L Holdings-led ownership.

HarperCollins agreed earlier this year to lease 183,059 square feet for offices. The building is also home to Thompson Financial.

The companies declined or didn’t respond to requests for comment.

“A lot of retailers have looked at it and it is difficult with the columns, but Anthropologie may be able to take that aesthetic and use it,” said Tom Citron of Newmark Knight Frank Retail.

The strip of Broadway between Ann and Liberty streets that has the Fulton Transit Hub as its commuter anchor is becoming its own shopping district, with deals covering Zara, The Gap, Urban Outfitters, Aldo, Modell’s, Sephora, Century 21 and Saks Fifth Ave. OFF 5th.

“A lot of building owners are trying to reconfigure their retail and move lobbies around to make room for these larger users,” added Citron, who was not involved in those deals.

Cheap chic retailer energy is also crossing Church Street, where Westfield is on its way to signing more tenants for its own World Trade Center shop-and-go experience.

Mall rats snitched that The Limited has walked away but now Forever 21 may slip into its spot. H&M may also grab a Church Street corridor location opposite the current Century 21 shopping mecca and another Broadway place, if they can find a box that fits their sales scheme.

The retailers would go into the bases of the currently rising 3 World Trade Center and 4 World Trade Center, which is already open for office business. Both new towers are owned and developed by Larry Silverstein, who has no say when it comes to the retail mix.

The year of the department store continues. Sources tell us since Hudson’s Bay has finished its downtown deals for its local office headquarters and huge Saks Fifth Ave. at Brookfield Place and a Saks OFF 5th at One Liberty Plaza, the company is turning its attention back to Harlem.

But now, rather than Saks, we hear the parent company is seeking a spot for Lord & Taylor or an off-priced concept store in that ever-more-exciting upper Manhattan area.

At the same time, Federated’s brand leader, Macy’s, which had also bounced around Harlem before taking a breather, is again scouting locations in that northern hamlet.

Brooklyn is also seeing department store action, as H&M is open and “doing well out of the box,” Nordstrom Rack is there, Saks is heading there and Century 21 will open at CityPoint, where Target’s CEO is ready to announce its lease this week. Forever 21 and Uniqlo are also both exploring Brooklyn options.

Neiman Marcus’ Last Call Studio will also open Nov. 21st at the 48,000-square-foot Brooklyn Heights Plaza in the base of the Municipal Building at 210 Joralemon St.

Here, Soul Cycle has just cemented a lease, while YogaWork’s, Sephora and It’Sugar are already open.

Gregory Tannor of Cushman and Wakefield represented Soul Cycle in the two-story fitness center that will give it room to also sell its workout clothes. Soul Cycle will have 2,684 square feet on the ground and 1,400 on the lower level for locker rooms and showers.

Jason Pennington of Ripco Real Estate represented Albert Laboz’ United American Land in the deal that had an asking rent of $150 per foot. “Brooklyn is the hot spot right now,” Pennington said.

There may be action downtown and in Brooklyn, but never be mercurial about the Meatpacking District. Here, Quiksilver has just inked a 5,900-square-foot lease for its new Boardriders concept at 408 W. 14th St., opposite the Apple store.

When it opens in 2015, the surf/snow/skate boarder outdoor lifestyle company will occupy 4,000 square feet on the ground floor and 1,900 square feet in the basement. The area also has lots of cobblestone streets that appeal to trick focused skaters.

Corey Zilcinski and Patrick Smith of SRS Real Estate Partners represented Quiksilver, which already has Boardriders in France, Portugal, Spain and Russia.

Ariel Schuster, Jackie Totolo and Benjamin Zack of RKF represented The Winter Organization building owners.

Faith Hope Consolo, chairman Douglas Elliman Retail, who was not involved in the deal, observed of all the city’s retail activity, “It means there is more confidence in retail here than any other place in the country.”