2 new Raleigh stores offer old-fashioned media, coffee & lifestyle goods
In a world where many things you could seek — a meal, answers to your questions, event or travel tickets, an outfit — are only a few clicks or taps away, a new business in downtown Raleigh wants to pull people away from their screens.
The historic building in downtown Raleigh that will house the business, the items shoppers can browse inside and the name of the store itself — The Newsagent’s — all reflect the goal of its owners, married couple Neetzan Zimmerman and Yulia Shamis, to take customers away from the digital age, and back to analog.
“Physical is the name of the game,” Zimmerman told The News & Observer in a phone interview. “We want to make things available for people to hold and to own and to enjoy for as long as they possess it.”
On the same Fayetteville Street block, Taurean Lewis has a new, tiny pop-up shop, Maison Neue.
Both businesses are intended to be not just retail stores but community-centered spaces.
“I’ve traveled all over the world, been all over the place, and I will say there’s nothing like the small-business relationships, the community in downtown Raleigh,” Lewis told The N&O over the phone.
What does The Newsagent’s sell?
Named for the now uncommon newsstands and their proprietors, the newsagents, The Newsagent’s will sell a curated selection of pre-owned and vintage books, vinyl records, comic books and films.
The Newagent’s will buy, trade and buy back books and other items.
“That is going to be part of the ecosystem is, connecting people with things that are sort of stashed away in people’s homes, kind of liberating them and bringing them back into the marketplace,” Zimmerman said.
There will also be a coffee shop, where visitors can enjoy coffee drinks and food items like pastries.
The Newsagent’s also plans to host events such as readings, film screenings and guest lectures.
Zimmerman and Shamis noticed a lack of “third places” in the Triangle, somewhere besides work or home that serves as a gathering place for people to connect and explore.
Neither of them have owned a business before. Zimmerman worked for years in digital marketing and social media, and Shamis is a scientist who previously worked in academia and biomedicine. They are partnering on the project, combining their unique skills, talents and interests to build their business.
When Shamis saw the space in the historical Mahler Building at 228 Fayetteville St. for the first time, she knew it was the perfect place for their business.
“It feels like an old library or something that was here for a long time, where people used to come, where your parents used to come,” she said.
Being downtown was also important to The Newsagent’s owners, Zimmerman said, because they hope to be a part of the area’s revitalization as a hotspot for commerce and business.
The 3,200-square-foot space will be visually divided into sections for different media, with the design reflecting each one. Working with Louis Cherry Architecture on the project, the owners are envisioning wooden cabinets and leather seats near the books and concert posters and records decorating the walls near the music.
“I’m looking forward [to] us really becoming a spot in downtown where people would love to come, and just be there, and just come to see and do things, have a cup of coffee and relax, and just love the place,” Shamis said. “Just go and browse.”
The Newsagent’s is expected to open this summer.
Former Nike creative opens pop-up in downtown Raleigh
Taurean Lewis’ family thought he was crazy when he left Shaw University, before graduating, to work as an intern at a men’s magazine in New York City.
But it started him on a journey that took him to Atlanta, where he was a celebrity stylist for artists and professional athletes, and to Oregon and California, where he worked in photo studios for Nike, and even back to the Triangle, where he is now opening his third retail store.
“I’m in a space of gratitude and just good energy,” Lewis said.
The store’s name — Maison Neue — differs from Lewis’ past two stores, Estate Boutique in Chapel Hill and Estate Essentials in Raleigh.
Maison is a French word that translates to “home” or “house,” and is often used in connection with businesses, specifically fashion brands. “Neue” is a German word meaning “new,” and reflects Lewis’ time spent living in Germany along with his own evolution; in recent years, he has taken up meditation and also feels more mature and business-savvy since opening his first store over a decade ago.
Maison Neue also happens to be one of Lewis’ favorite fonts.
At 250 square feet, Maison Neue is much smaller than the other two stores.
“From a buying perspective, it definitely changed my mindset, because I’m so used to buying inventory for a large retail space,” Lewis said.
Inside, customers will find accessories such as hats and bags, along with jewelry, books and other lifestyle goods. A larger selection, including T-shirts, shorts, hoodies and other products, is available online at maisonneue.com.
Maison Neue opened earlier in April at 234 Fayetteville St., in the space that was recently occupied by Elevated Coffee.
The pop-up will be around for at least six months, and current hours, as of Friday, April 11, are 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday.
