Tariq Dixon’s home decor business TRNK was always digitally native, but over the years he’s dabbled in brick-and-mortar to make the connections with clients that only in-person can. So now he has taken up a more permanent residence on Jay Street, and the space is just that: designed to feel like a home.

“Having a place to host and entertain has always been an important way to engage with our clients more intimately,” Dixon said. (His own home in Bed Stuy has been featured in AD.) “And as our assortment grows and we add new layers to the business, I needed a home where every thing could culminate and be shown together and interact with each other.

Dixon founded the company in 2013 with Nick Nemechek — both of them refugees from the menswear industry — by way of Baltimore, Harvard and Armani. One hook initially was to appeal more to men — “There was attention on the underserved customer, and we wanted to discredit the notion that men don’t shop” — but that fizzled away over time as the thinking around gender identity and design (thankfully) got a lot more sophisticated.

Photo by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr

The company has three main components: the TRNK Collection of their own designs; TRNK Editions — limited edition photographs; and their curated pieces representing 50+ brands from around the globe, from small independent ceramic studios to larger brands. The idea is that everything for the home is in one spot — “hopefully in a very cohesive and edited line.”

Dixon, who is Black and Korean, has sought with this company to not just bring better BIPOC representation to the industry, but also to open the discussions about race, identity and cultural bias when it comes to the design itself. The company’s structure and mission allows it to support fledgling designers and that way drive some of the discussion. And he uses the platform to support organizations such as the Ali Forney Center for LGBT youth and youth activist organization the Black Youth Project 100.

And I will note, his addition to the neighborhood brings us one of very few Black-owned businesses. In fact, when I tried to take a tally during the pandemic, all I could identify is Shopboy, the tailor at 62 Walker. Readers identified Brooklyn Chop House on Nassau as Black-owned, and of course if we want to focus on minority-owned, we need go no further than Chinatown.

The company has always had a downtown sensibility, so choosing Tribeca was obvious, especially with the Tribeca Gallery District blossoming and what he hopes (I’ve tried!) will become a Tribeca Design District. (We’ve won some and lost some on that front: Stella, R & Company, Jenni Kayne, Lambert & Fils, Egg Collective, Clic, Espasso, Room, Urban Archeology, Stillfried Wein, Studio Twenty Seven on the wins; Maker & Son and David Weeks Studio among the losses.) “The appeal was also its beautiful, quiet, cobblestone streets and obviously the customer is here as well.”

For now the shop on Jay — which is stunning, by the way — operates more as a showroom for his collection with some of the smaller pieces and photographs completing the look. But that is subject to change, especially at the holidays, when there will be more of a focus on small objects. “It’s always helpful for clients when they can see multiple things in one trip,” Dixon said. “And it’s nice to have a place where they can all work together in harmony.”

PS: TRNK is part of NYC x Design, going on now through May 20, and will host an open studio on May 14.

TRNK
18 Jay | Greenwich & Hudson
Tuesday to Friday, 11a to 6p
“We encourage people to make appointments so we can give a little better service.”