Shops We Love: Addict

Could fashion make the bonds of family stronger? Twenty-something owners of the new shop, Addict, Megan Johnson and Ashley Thompson, think it could. When Megan first moved to New York to work in fashion PR, she immediately became disillusioned. "I had a fantasy of what fashion was like," she says. "But it seemed like everyone wore the same thing, the stores carried the same selections, and some designers had a monopoly." Lucky for her, her cousin-in-law, Ashley, left a career in L.A. as a buyer to study fashion at Parsons. The two became close, and before long, aligned on a "more optimistic" approach to fashion and retail. The store Addict was born, and family matters continued to play a part.

For the design of the space, they turned to a cousin of Megan's at Harvard to draw up the plans, and yet another cousin to sketch large, modern portraits of stylish girls as décor.

As for the mix of merch, it can best be described as Soho-meets-Silver Lake, a representation of the two proprietors' contrasting styles. "Ashley's more bohemian, and I'm more New York," Megan explains. The duo injected a healthy dose of Ashley's L.A. sass into their inventory to offer jaded Manhattanites something fresh, including less expected labels such as Alessandro Dell'Acqua and Barbara Bui, and sought-after left coast favorites such as denim by J & Company, silk dresses from Geren Ford, and tees from L.A. Made. For Ashley, it was exactly what she felt New York needed. "When I first moved east I couldn't find my favorite labels, so I knew this was an opportunity to fill a need."

The bonds of family yield a fresh assortment of Fashion at the new East Village shop Addict.