This is a real Tribeca story, with a textile business, an empty building, tin ceilings, a relic from 1867, and a plan for reuse from the second generation that includes art and a big dose of scrappiness. (There are also some unbelievable views and a fun old-school installation above the storefront.)

LUME Studios was founded in 2016 (yes, this is a real catchup) by Dotan Negrin, who took the building at 393 Broadway that his father purchased in the ’80s and converted it into an experiential design studio and gallery. The company produces immersive experiences for brands — Apple, JetBlue, Adidas — and uses the space for shows and events.

“We are all very much artists who work here,” said Dotan when I toured with him and his business (and life) partner Anneka Ranpuria.

The original building was bought to house the family business: supplying high-end fabrics for Paul Rothman Industries, which was then at 361 Broadway. They weathered some rough times in those decades — 12 percent mortgage rates, a changing fashion industry and eventually, competition from Asia. Dotan worked there as a kid cutting fabrics. But by 2004, there was nothing left here.

“When everything went to China, my dad switched to retail, selling by the yard,” Dotan said. “It was a not a good business. My dad was a modest guy, not a shrewd guy, and it was hard to keep up.”

For 15 years, the building was rented to an ad agency, and when they moved on, Dotan took it over. He was an artist, and delivered art for a time, then started producing shows, and that’s how it evolved. “I’m a gear head. Everything in this building is years and years of putting gear together and making art with it.”

The main level has been set up as an agency event space since 2017 — “That’s what pays the bills.” In 2019 he got into projection mapping and installed 16 projectors on the main level to catch up with the digital art boom. He took a big loss during the pandemic, when no one was holding events, and made up for it with video production.

There are art installations on the upper floors; the basement is now a black box for videos production; another space was being used as a backdrop for a commercial. And this past fall, they launched Subjective Art, a gallery and week-long art fair dedicated to digital and AI art.

“I kept challenging myself to figure out different ways to think about art,” Dotan said. “We are always trying new things.”

LUME Studios
393 Broadway at Walker
hello@lumestudios.com