Just Browsing: Violet Grey Brings California Cool to the Upper East Side
'New York is Violet Grey's boyfriend,' founder Cassandra Grey tells me over email. Melrose Place may have been the first outpost of her beauty retailer, but her dalliance with Manhattan is just as long-standing to Grey as Los Angeles is.
It was New York where she dreamt up the business plan for Violet Grey. 'I was inspired by Zitomer, Barneys, Bergdorf, Central Park, Saturday Night Live, Bobby Short, the Barbizon Hotel, the beauty closets at Vogue and Allure, and of course, Net-a-Porter,' she lists. 'The Carlyle, where I lived with my late husband, holds a special place in our story. It was in the Gallery Bar that I first pitched beauty brands, investors, potential team members, and Vogue's beauty editor with nothing more than a stapled mood board, a dream, and the kind of ear-to-ear smile that only comes with naivety.'
A little over a year ago, a dream location just off the corner of 78th St. and Madison, askance from The Carylye's outdoor café, presented itself. 'It felt so perfectly on-brand, it was almost too good to be true,' she says. 'We knew we had to have it—a place for our community to call home.' Grey and investor Sherif Guirgis found the space before they bought back the company from Farfetch in 2024. 'At the time, we weren't in a financial position to sign a lease, and we nearly lost it,' she says. 'But where there's a will, there's always a way.'
The location opens into a garden entrance, that per Grey, is a quiet nod to the alleyway approach of Melrose Place. Bill Sofield, who designed the LA store, played a pivotal role in this one, too; the pair drew upon 'the Dorothy Draper-inspired Deco iconography of the Carlyle with the signature Hollywood Regency of John Elgin Woolf that defined Melrose Place' for something that Grey hopes feels like an extension of that legacy. Complete with a Paul Poiret sofa plucked from Sofield's warehouse, the complete works of Colette from one of the oldest bookstores in Paris, and a collection of polaroids from old cover shoots and Hollywood parties, the space transports you to a glamorous vintage home, without getting lost in time.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
How meme stock mania is a 'sign of the times'
Retail investors are piling into high-volatility trades, from meme stocks to speculative plays. Stocktwits editor in chief and vice president of community Tom Bruni explains what the activity says about market sentiment and how companies like GoPro (GPRO) and Krispy Kreme (DNUT) can respond. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Asking for a Trend here. Meme stocks, we're talking GoPro and Krispy Kreme. When you watch these moves, Tom, is it fun? Is it concerning? What do you make of it? Yeah, it's a bit of both. I think the, uh, it's a sign of the environment we're in. We've had a record rally off the April lows. Most of the major indexes are up 20, 30%. Stocks like Robinhood, Coinbase, Palantir, retail favorites are up 200, 300% in this short period. We're coming off two back-to-back 25% plus years in the S&P. And so, I mean, animal spirits are alive and well. I read a stat today, 70% of the options market volume is on the call side, and 27% of year-to-date volume in trading across the board is coming in stocks under $5. That's even higher than during the pandemic. Because I I I asked that question, Tom, because I can understand some viewers would be watching this and they would be thinking to themselves, well, all of a sudden we're talking about Josh and Tom were talking meme stocks, we're talking about spacks again. Just whether you see this sort of speculative activity and is it a side to you of froth in the market. Yeah. Yeah, typically we see this type of activity towards the latter end of a move. So, again, not calling a market top, but I mean, think about it. We're up 30% in the indices over three months. A lot of great news has been priced in, and I think earning season is kind of bringing the market kind of back into to focus on the fundamentals. Um, and so I think it's just a sign of the times. People, you know, when you see your portfolio going up 25% in three months, you're not really interested in making one or two percent here. You're going for multibaggers, as they like to say online. But I think it's also important to frame the conversation. People are not all in and all out. They are using a portion of their portfolio that is for fun and speculation and, you know, growth, uh, for these opportunities and not necessarily taking the excessive risk that I think a lot of people think of. And when you're watching these moves, Tom, do we have line of sight of of who's in? I mean, is this retail traders? Is it the pros? Is it both? Yeah, what I've been saying is that retail is starting the party and then forcing the institutions to dance. And what I mean by that is the institutions are kind of setting these stocks up for a meme type situation, heavily shorted brand names that like have some fundamental value, but you know, are not going to zero. And then we have sophisticated investors online, retail, using market mechanics against the institutions. So in the situation of calls earlier this week, the stock moved from $11 to $20 in the pre-market. It doesn't take a whole lot of volume on the retail side to be able to move a stock like that. And if you're an institution that's short, uh, or or hedged against that stock, you got to make that move at the open. And so it's kind of a situation where retail is saying, hey, this situation doesn't make sense to us. There's a fundamental case to be made here, and we're going to move the market in our direction and the institutions will have to adjust. Let's say you're a GoPro or Krispy Kreme. Yeah. You see these moves, right? What should be, you think time, your reaction, your response? How should you, if at all, try and take advantage of it? Yeah. I mean, every company with high short interest right now should be thinking about how do we convert conversation and attention into capital and long-term shareholder conviction. The difference between this being a short-term move where the stock just pops and and moves lower is management's ability to go out there, raise capital, uh, get their balance sheets in focus, and really tell a compelling story for shareholders to say, hey, this is not just a trade. We're really turning this business around. There's a fundamental reason to be involved here. And I think it's the investor relations departments, the the executives that are using online platforms like Stocktwits, like Twitter, like Reddit, to get their messaging out there and tell a compelling story. Those are going to be the ones that stick around. Those who choose not to engage with retail are likely going to see their stock fall. Let's have another another name I want you to take on Opendoor. Uh, we had EMJ's Eric Jackson on on YFi talking about the name. Take a listen to what he had to say. Yeah. Open door's not a meme stock. This is a real turnaround legitimate turnaround story. It's an opportunity for anybody who missed Carvana. And I missed it at 350. I got in at $15 on Carvana. So I think I do know what to look for in these kinds of situations, um, and I think that this is the ground floor for a move to 82. What what do you make of Mr. Jackson's comments? He's talking Opendoor and he saying, listen, this is a real story. This is a fundamental story. What do you make of that? Yeah. I think individual story aside, I think that's what's kind of attracting people to these situations. They see a company that's beaten down, highly bet against, and there's some glimpse of a fundamental case to be made where somebody can say, you know what? I I kind of believe that. You know, maybe it shouldn't be trading at 82, but maybe it shouldn't be trading at a dollar. And there's a lot of room in between there. And so we're seeing people reassess situations that have otherwise been left for dead. And as retail gets into these names, institutions also have to adjust and, again, I think it's going to come down to the management team of Opendoor. What do they do with this situation? Um, how do they create a compelling narrative? Because right now it's all about the stock price. It's all about what's happening with trading, but what's actually happening with the company? What are they going to do from a strategy perspective to get this back on the right footing? More broadly, Tom, I'm also just interested in the Stocktwits community. How do they feel right now about this market? Where do they stand on this rally after the move we've seen after that April low? Yeah. I mean, it's quite, uh, quite amazing. Throughout the April period, we saw kind of institutions running for the hills on on tariff concerns, but retail was in there buying the dip, and they've been quite aggressive throughout this entire rally. But that said, we're seeing some catch-up plays, uh, you know, come to fruition here. So instead of focusing on a Robinhood or Coinbase that's up, you know, hundreds of percentages already, they're looking at other opportunities. We're looking international. Japan just, uh, just signed a trade deal. Um, you know, Chinese stocks are are set to play catch up if they can get a deal. So people are looking for value. They're still bullish overall, but they're looking for opportunities where, uh, maybe the the puck is going as opposed to where it's been. When I last spoke to you, Tom, I remember, correct me if I'm wrong, but there was a lot of interest, enthusiasm, again, the Stocktwits community on themes like nuclear, um, things like AI, crypto. Are those still front and center? Yeah. Yeah. That's continuing. You're just seeing, uh, money rotate within those themes. So rather than play it directly through Nvidia or directly through the same names, um, they're looking for other opportunities. So lithium stocks, uh, are a big one that I've seen pop off over the last couple of weeks. Um, solar stocks are are catching a bit again. So people are seeing these broader themes and saying, okay, instead of buying the the nuclear energy stock that's already up 400%, maybe I buy a solar stock because I know that there's going to be some energy component to this kind of broader theme. So Last last question, Tom. What about crypto? Is that still a point of interest on the platform? It it's, um, you know, it's kind of spread as risk appetite has, um, kind of widened here. Seeing a lot of meme coins, a lot of interest around Ethereum. There's a couple of treasury, uh, you know, Ethereum treasury companies out there. So, uh, definitely a hot area. I think the next phase for crypto and where people are looking on Crypto Twitter is, uh, stable coins. You know, we've got Circle, we've got Robin Hood making a big, uh, move into staking and stable coins. So I think that's kind of the next leg of this, uh, you know, crypto market rally.
Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'We ask for more data' than FICO: VantageScore CEO
Silvio Tavares, VantageScore CEO, emphasizes that mortgage lenders want to use VantageScore, stressing that the company has more data and uses modern technology. He speaks to Romaine Bostick and Scarlet Fu on "The Close." Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten Melden Sie sich an, um Ihr Portfolio aufzurufen. Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten
Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
A 59-Year-Old Career Nurse Feels 'Defeated And Cooked' After Learning Her Coworker Has Saved Nearly $500,000 More For Retirement
A longtime nurse approaching retirement recently posted on Reddit that he felt 'defeated and cooked' after discovering a coworker had $460,000 more saved in their 401(k). He shared his financial situation on the r/retirement subreddit, noting that he and his wife have about $240,000 saved for retirement, plus an anticipated $1,100 monthly pension, Social Security benefits between $1,800 and $2,300, and roughly $200,000 to $300,000 in other savings. 'I absolutely can't grind out eight more years working full-time,' he said. Dissapointment 'I was feeling OK about my plan,' he wrote, 'until talking with a coworker in the same salary range who has managed to save about $700,000 in his 401(k).' Don't Miss: Be part of the breakthrough that could replace plastic as we know it— $100k+ in investable assets? – no cost, no obligation. Many redditors urged the nurse to stop comparing himself to others. 'Comparison is the thief of joy,' one commenter said. Another added, 'You were fine until you found out someone else has more? You're 59, not 9. Way past time to stop playing that childish game.' Several pointed out that his pension is a valuable asset often overlooked. 'That pension is huge,' one person said. 'It may not sound like a lot, but you would need about $400,000 in savings to be able to withdraw $1,100 per month.' Others focused on his emotional exhaustion. The nurse explained he could not imagine working full-time for another eight years, prompting many to suggest transitioning into a less physically demanding role like remote case management or a teaching role. Trending: This AI-Powered Trading Platform Has 5,000+ Users, 27 Pending Patents, and a $43.97M Valuation — Most Americans Fall Short Of Retirement Goals While Fidelity recommends that Americans have eight times their salary saved by age 60, the reality for most people falls short. So while the nurse may not be hitting expert targets, he's still ahead of the typical American. Many commenters emphasized that retirement readiness comes down to spending, not just savings. 'Your expenses drive how long you have to work,' one said. 'What are your expected retirement expenses per month including health insurance? Know that and you can figure out how long you need to work.' Some shared their own modest setups. One retired couple said they live well off a $2,900 pension, $1,100 Social Security check, and $200,000 in cash. Their monthly expenses total just $2,200, largely due to living in a low-cost area and owning a small recurring tip: test-drive their retirement budget now. That means they should try living on what they'd expect to bring in each month during retirement. If they can live on it now, they can probably live on it then. The nurse eventually responded to the outpouring of support and practical advice. 'Thank you everyone for the advice and recommendations,' he wrote. Fellow Redditors encouraged him to speak to a fee-only financial advisor and to start tracking his monthly expenses to create a concrete plan. 'It's useless [to] feel bad about what you were not able to accomplish in the past,' one nurse wrote. 'Start learning today and figure out how you can make your dreams happen.' Read Next: Can you guess how many retire with a $5,000,000 nest egg? .Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article A 59-Year-Old Career Nurse Feels 'Defeated And Cooked' After Learning Her Coworker Has Saved Nearly $500,000 More For Retirement originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
