Openings & Closings: Sample Sale; The Mermaid Inn; Twin Tails; PHS

By Scott Etkin and Lisa Kava

Sample Sale, a pop-up store selling designer clothes and winter coats, opened in September at 90 West 96th Street (off Columbus Avenue). It is open seven days a week, from 11 a.m. through 7 p.m., until the end of December, a representative told West Side Rag. The pop-up is owned by Bella Moda Studio, a company that operates various pop-ups for discount-designer clothing. They carry brands such as BCBG Max Azria, Michael Kors, TAHARI, Dawn Levy, 1 Madison, among others. “What sets us apart is that most of our items are priced at less than 50% retail value, giving shoppers incredible value for their money,” the representative told the Rag. They feature a wide range of evening and casual wear. (Thanks to Megan for the tip.)

The Mermaid Inn, the popular seafood restaurant, opened on October 21st at 335 Columbus Avenue, on the corner of West 76th Street. It was supposed to open on October 20th, but had to be delayed a day because the newly installed sprinkler system went off overnight, causing some damage to the kitchen, according to a post by the company on social media and a sign in the window of the restaurant. The Mermaid Inn, which has a few locations in NYC, closed its previous Upper West Side spot on Amsterdam Avenue between West 87th and 88th streets in the fall of 2022 after 15 years. (The vacant building is expected to be replaced with an 18-story tower.) The new restaurant takes up about half of the block’s storefront space, which used to be a Chase bank.

Twin Tails, a Southeast Asian restaurant, opened on October 23rd on the third floor of the Shops at Columbus Circle (West 59th Street). It is part of the Quality Branded group, which is known for the restaurants Quality Meats, Quality Italian, and others. The Twin Tails menu is inspired by the cuisines of Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, and the decor evokes a “retro-futuristic design reminiscent of iconic NYC restaurants in the 1980s,” according to an announcement from the company. It is the sister restaurant to Bad Roman, the Italian restaurant under the Quality Branded umbrella, which opened on the third floor of the Shops at Columbus Circle in February 2023. Reservations are available on OpenTable. 

PHS, a hair salon, is planning to open at 405 Amsterdam (between West 79th and 80th streets) on October 29th, according to information posted on its website and Instagram account. The salon will be a rebranding and relocation of Polaris Hair Studio, which has been in the neighborhood since 2008 at 76 West 85th Street. It will be open six days a week (closed Mondays). The space used to be The Great Burrito.

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