Rag & Bone Re-brands Its Facade, Redux

Rag & Bone is just a few months shy of its second anniversary at 73 East Houston, the corner property that housed Cafe Colonial for sixteen years. Since the high-end boutique arrived in summer of 2010, the immediate vicinity has undergone a sea change.  Billy’s Antiques called it quits, Bowery Coffee opened shop, and the clutch bodega a couple blocks away closed. Call it the McNally effect or whathaveyou, the outcome is clear. Money, money, money.

Contrast that with the revolving door of commissioned art being thrown up on the Elizabeth Street facade. It’s seemingly a concerted, yet constant effort to satisfy the street while peddling unaffordable wares inside. Nevertheless, the latest mural to grace the wall is a different creative interpretation of the Rag & Bone brand name. Less colorful (and harder to read) than its predecessor.