“Roz is an old friend,” says Jae Lee of Roz Viemeister, who closed her shop, Shoofly, in May. “Before she moved to Tribeca, she had a store a block from my store on the Upper West Side. I always wanted a shop in Tribeca, but I wasn’t going to open right near her. Then she decided to retire and this spot became available—the rest is history.” Lee even hired three former Shoofly staffers.

The spot in question is the short-lived Pookie & Sebastian boutique; before that, the space was home to the Adeline Adeline bike shop. Now it’s Naturino, which Lee says will be two-thirds shoes (newborn to teen) and one-third apparel (newborn to eight)—the inverse of his uptown stores. “We carry almost all the brands that Shoofly carried, plus a few more,” says Lee. “At least 60 percent of the shoes will be Naturino, and we’ll also have Uggs, Skechers, Geox, New Balance….” As for the clothing, Lee describes it as “fun, sporty, casual, and comfortable.” And he promises tons of accessories and confirms what I’ve always suspected: They’re often used to bribe/reward kids for going shopping.

“We’ve been doing this for thirty years,” says Lee. “We know how to fit the shoes.”

Naturino is having a grand opening this Saturday (Aug. 13) with snacks, drinks, giveaways from noon to 2 p.m., and 10% off all purchases till Aug. 20.

Naturino is at 147 Reade (between Hudson and Greenwich), 646-719-1571; greenstonesnyc.com.

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