Storefront: Closet 07631
The list of independent specialty stores in Englewood's downtown shopping district reads like a fashion smorgasbord.
Still, for cousins John O'Keefe and Nelson Ramos of the Bronx, the well-traveled area lacked a certain something.
"There's always been a bunch of women's boutiques around here, but there's a void when it comes to specialty men's stores," said O'Keefe, who, along with Ramos, opened up the hip Closet 07631 to fill that particular hole.
"We have backgrounds in retail as managers and buyers. ... This is something we've both always been into."
The storefront, which opened in mid-April, offers high-end clothes, all in an environment that's not only close to home, but designed to actually look like home.
"Everything is hanging or folded like it would be in your own closet," O'Keefe said. "It just makes it a comfortable place to browse."
Cousins want men's clothes to rock
John O'Keefe, 30, and Nelson Ramos, 28, are cousins with rock-star dreams. The Bronx natives don't want to be rock stars; they want to help North Jersey guys dress like them.
They've opened a men's clothing boutique, Closet 07631, in Englewood. They describe their clothes as "rock-inspired, with a hip-hop crossover."
Don't be fooled by the casual look of the clothes. The store carries designer brands found in premium department stores such as Neiman Marcus and Barneys New York and trendy Soho shops. Brands include Christian Audigier, the L.A.-based designer who dresses stars such as Justin Timberlake, and who draws inspiration from tattoo artists. "It's clothing you would wear to a club, a lounge, for a night out," O'Keefe said.
