After 16 years in Soho, longtime Tribecan Denise Williamson has moved her PR company, Williamson, to 180 Duane Street—and even more notably, she’s expanding into retail, partnering with Debi Greenberg, who ran the estimable Louis Boston for 30 years. The collaboration is called 180, after the address.

Downstairs is devoted to showroom and offices; upstairs is nearly all retail, except when it isn’t. “We see the space as a laboratory for our clients,” says Williamson. “It can always evolve with designers’ or brands’ needs—serving as an event space, for instance, or for the launch of new technology. And in between installations and pop-ups, it’ll be retail.”

Currently, you’ll find the 100% natural candles, diffusers, skincare, and soap from Red Hook–based Apotheke; From the Road‘s cashmere blankets and scarves, made by artisans in Nepal; Rivay menswear (“We actually met when he was parked outside,” says Williamson); unisex apparel by the Japanese line Blurhms, which even makes a lot of its own cloth; New York brand Engineered Garments; bags by Bags in Progress; and, in the window, a mini Green Fingers nursery. By this weekend, they’ll be joined by Chimala, a Japanese brand specializing in denim-based clothing for men and women (and it’ll also have a limited vintage collection). Last but not least, Williamson and Greenberg are in discussions with a few people about opening a café in the store.

“The goal is to enhance the neighborhood,” says Williamson. “Being here, I know what we’re looking for. But with retail, I think you have to always be progressing, to keep it fresh. It’s what people expect now.”

180 is at 180 Duane (between Hudson and Greenwich); 312-226-5506; 180duane.com.

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