IN A UNIQUE COLLABORATION,

TWO MIDTOWN BIDS TEAM UP TO ANNOUNCE “BLANK SL8”

A NEW RETAIL SHOWCASE ON 8TH AVENUE

FOR NY-BASED TALENT IN

FASHION AND THE ARTS

Fashion Center BID and Times Square Alliance Launch New Initiative as Part of On-Going Campaigns to Bolster the Eighth Avenue Corridor

The Times Square Alliance and the Fashion Center Business Improvement District have announced the launch of BLANK SL8 (Blank Slate), a new retail showcase that will feature rotating exhibitions and displays of design, fashion and visual arts created by New York-based artists and designers.  Partnering with the Port Authority of NY & NJ, BLANK SL8 is a groundbreaking collaboration between two mid-town BIDS and will be located street side on the corner of Eighth Avenue and West 41st Street at the Bus Terminal. 

BLANK SL8 will not only serve as a platform and incubator for emerging creative talent in New York, but will continue both BIDs’ ongoing campaigns to revitalize the Eighth Avenue corridor, which over the past few years has seen a burst of economic activity with the arrival of The New York Times building and businesses like Muji, Dean & Deluca, Schnipper's, and Inakaya.  This new endeavor also complements Eighth Avenue’s emerging identity as an Avenue of Architecture.

Rendering by super-interesting!

The BIDs have been in conversations with a variety of interested parties from both the fashion and visual arts community to participate in this new initiative.

“We are thrilled to be able to provide this highly-visible space for a cause that will undoubtedly benefit the fashion and arts worlds in New York,” said Barbara Randall, president of the Fashion Center BID.  “This space also will enhance the visual appeal of Eighth Avenue and attract visitors from all over the New York metro area given its extraordinary accessibility and central location.”

“This innovative art and fashion destination is a great example of the transformation taking place up and down Eighth Avenue,” said Times Square Alliance President Tim Tompkins. “This is a great opportunity to show off this neighborhood’s creativity and invite even more excitement, culture and people into one of the City’s most vital and vibrant retail locations.”

"By partnering with the Fashion BID and the Times Square Alliance, we can continue to highlight the exciting changes in the community and help showcase the creative talent that the area around the Port Authority Bus Terminal has to offer,” said Chris Ward, Executive Director of the Port Authority of NY & NJ.

"This partnership will provide tourists and commuters traveling through our bus terminal an opportunity to see the tremendous artistic talent of the surrounding community," said Susan Bass Levin, Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority of NY & NJ.

BLANK SL8 represents the first time that two New York City-based business improvement districts have cooperated on a project to such an extent. The Fashion BID and the Times Square Alliance will share the programming responsibilities over the next six months, rotating the presentations every one-to-two months.

The BIDs are also sharing responsibilities on the renovation of the 2,500 square-foot space, having hired Super-Interesting Architects to redesign the interior to provide future occupants with a stylishly flexible blank slate that can be customized for each occupant.  Super-Interesting’s design includes sleek black ceilings, white homasote walls and glossy black wooden floors.  New lighting fixtures and electrical sockets will provide flexibility for all installations. The rectangular floor-plate, approximately 60 feet wide by 40 feet deep, has floor-to-ceiling windows on three and a half sides, and entrances on Eighth Avenue and in the terminal atrium area.

The first tenant for this space will be announced in the coming days and is scheduled to open by May 1st.