Dinner Service NY went from a 10×10 Ft popup to a retail location in Manhattan within two years with support from Artists & Fleas

Standing inside her new Nolita storefront, Dinner Service NY Co-Founder Gabrielle Gomes welcomes shoppers into what feels like a classic New York eatery from decades past, offering them water or a cold beer from the fully stocked fridge behind the mock bar.

It’s fitting given the brand’s name, which embodies Dinner Service NY’s story-driven approach to their limited edition clothing capsules. Dinner time is when people from all different cultures and backgrounds come together to share stories and get to know each other in an intimate way, explains Gabrielle. Stories are plentiful at Dinner Service NY, with each limited-edition release being inspired by emerging artists, using fashion as a way to shine a light on the musician or visual artist behind the line.

While Gabrielle and Co-Founder Trina Assur are music enthusiasts, it’s their passion for health and our planet that led them to create their apparel brand. Their experience working in luxury fashion and home textiles revealed to them how reliant these industries are on plastic and toxic chemicals, and they believed the industry was ready for an overhaul. They launched their small apparel business in 2021, which at the time was called The Phoenix Brand, with a commitment to using only plant-based, natural and upcycled fabrics.

“We’re just a part of the larger ecosystem, so everything that we do and consume all has an impact on the planet, the ecosystem and our health as human beings,” Gabrielle says. “That was our driving force.”

From pop-up to storefront: How Dinner Service NY grew their small apparel business

“Opening a store in New York was not something we thought would be a part of our journey this early on,” says Gabrielle. “What we realized, primarily through our time at Artists & Fleas Chelsea, was how powerful it was to interact with customers in person and have them interact with our garments, learn about the story of our brand and our mission.”

“Artists & Fleas is a big reason why we’ve been able to grow and why we are standing in our store in New York now.”

Dinner Service launched in 2021 and did its first pop-up in Artists & Fleas Williamsburg, Brooklyn during the pandemic. Gabrielle reflects on how it was an interesting time to experience brick-and-mortar shopping and how challenging it was for retail in general. The team took those learnings and forged ahead, with a new understanding of their customer that they only could discover from those in-person interactions.

“Being a new brand, we didn’t have the funds to open a retail store in New York City, so Artists & Fleas was the only tool out there to help us to engage with our customers in person. The community that Artists & Fleas has created and the way that they have curated artisans in this market is really authentic and really genuine… it’s clear they have a passion for what they’re doing. I think that brings the right type of person to the market. To be able to learn from that type of customer has been so incredible for us to get to the next level or our business.”

Gabrielle says it wasn’t gangbusters from that first pop-up, and reminds all small business entrepreneurs that it takes persistence and perseverance; it’s not going to be an overnight success. It’s challenging, which makes it even more rewarding.

“It’s definitely not something that happened overnight for us, but it did happen more quickly than we had ever anticipated, and that’s really all thanks to our experience at Artists & Fleas.”

After a year of selling in Artists & Fleas Chelsea, Dinner Service NY opened its first store on April 27, 2023 at 259 Elizabeth Street. You can shop their latest collections in both locations today.

Tell us more..

• Favorite product: For now, the bowling tops. She loves the texture and feel of the lyocell. But her real favorite is part of a new line dropping in a few days, so stay tuned!
• Favorite customer experience: When she saw a customer wearing the Maggie Cowels sweater at a Broadway show. Turns out, she’s been a loyal fan of the brand since the early days.
• We had to ask….breakfast, lunch, or dinner? Breakfast for dinner.