Life With Colbo
Life With Colbo
So, here’s a question: How do one manage to stand out as something genuinely cool and original in the vast ocean of things and people that is New York City? Frankly, we have no clue. But Tal Silberstein and Eldar Hadad do. They run Colbo, which is … well, it’s a bit hard to pin down. In the words of Tal, it’s a “multi-disciplinary space/store with its own brand.” In the store, located on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, you’ll find two turntables, a stack of neatly selected records, good coffee and lots of great clothes. In other words: some of life’s finest things. Here, we talk gloves, the feeling of community, and cool spots for martinis and Chinese food.
Text by Oliver Bodh Larsen, Photos by Chandler Bondurant
Tal wears ANOTHER Coat 2.0, Black, ANOTHER Shirt 2.1, Natural (I just checked online. New York is freezing these days. What kind of garments do you sport to pull through?
Tal: “I would say that overcoats are the number one thing for me.”
Eldar: “I wear a lot of layers. A lot of cashmere blends.”
Tal: “Yeah, she wears a lot of layers. I just wear what I normally do but with an overcoat, a scarf and a hat. Sometimes gloves.”
Only sometimes? Not every day?
Tal: “No, not me, maybe I should. I just put my hands in the pockets. Hands in the pockets. That’s what I do.”
Eldar: “I usually use scarves as headpieces. And when I leave the shop, I like to take a cup full of hot boiling water and I just carry it in my hands. Instead of gloves. Gloves freak me out. They’re so uncomfortable.”
Tal: “Oh, really? How so?”
Eldar: “I don’t know.”
Tal: “That’s interesting.”
I feel gloves are very comfortable. Like, you know, that’s pretty much the essence of gloves.
Tal: “Yeah, I agree.”
Eldar: “Well, I want my fingers free.”
Anyway. Retail was sort of pronounced dead some years ago. And now it seems to be regaining form – if, you know, you actually manage to do something creative and original. What’s the secret behind Colbo being such a cool place, you think?
Tal: “Oh, la, la. First of all, I think it comes down to the multi-disciplinary aspect. And the community aspect, the fact that we host so many people. That’s the differentiation that’s become very clear the last few years. Since we started, it’s gone way beyond just selling clothes. The interactions between the different disciplines taking place in one space pushes the retail part of things in some ways. It’s kinda hard to explain…”
Eldar: “Ever since we opened – whether it was spoken about or unspoken – Tal and I had a clear vision that it should be a very welcoming space. Almost like a living room type of feeling. I don’t think that the hospitality component and the warmth is very common in New York. The feeling that you can just linger without purchasing anything.”
Could you talk about some events that you’ve done?
Eldar: “Yeah, we’ve had some highlights. We had a really good, successful Porter Yoshida collaboration where they came to New York, and then we did our first pop-up in Japan through their platform. That felt like a significant milestone for us. It was also really nice when Another Aspect did their pop-up with us last October and we were able to join forces with La Cabra, also, that are very popular here in New York. That’s part of what I’ve talked out: We just really like to get to know new people that are up to cool stuff.
Tal wears ANOTHER Coat 2.0, Black, ANOTHER Shirt 2.1, Natural (How do you scout brands for the store? It’s a pretty small selection, so how do you go about it?
Tal: “It’s a good question. I think we’re always looking for people that we have mutual kind of beliefs with, or mutual friends or aesthetics. Something that aligns with our vision, you know. It’s very much based off this multi-disciplinary community space, so we really want the brands to a part of that community.”
Eldar: “Yeah. It’s all coming from a very personal place. There’s no, like, trend forecasting going on.”
I know you have two turntables and a rotary mixer in the shop. Who spins the records on a daily basis?
Tal: “That’s the staff in the shop. Sometimes they put playlists on, it’s not strictly vinyl every day. When we have DJs at our events it’s vinyl only, but day to day, the staff put on playlists and play the records that we offer for sale in the store. It comes from my background. I had a record store back in Tel-Aviv in 2016, and that was kind of my first going into like my own business. It’s all very much from that culture, now combined with clothes and a café.”
Sounds really cool. Moving on a bit. Your store is located in a very nice area just off Chinatown on the Lower East Side. Would you mind sharing some insider tips?
Eldar: “Sure! We’re in an area that is now called Dimes Square. First off, you should put your name down at Cervo’s which is a restaurant that we love so much. And then you should go for martinis at Swan Room, which is a bar at the Nine Orchard Hotel.”
Tal: “Also, we should mention Gem Home and Gem Wine. They are some of your favorite spots and we also went there as part of the shoot for this article.”
Eldar: “We also love something more casual, like Dim Sum Go Go. Being in Chinatown, there’s a lot of cheap, but really good comfort food nearby.”
Tal: “And Spicy Village! That’s the best one.”
Eldar: “Also, to mention something outside of food and consumerism, I’d like to mention the cinema Metrograph which is a lot of fun. They usually show more niche stuff, but also some of the classics. There’s also a lot of shopping destinations around us – we’re not the only ones. We really love Lara Koleji. It’s a very well-curated vintage store. And oh! We have, honestly, the best slice in town just around us, it’s called Scarr’s Pizza.”
