MEATPACKING DISTRICT Just in time for the first heat wave of the summer, Brazilian sandal company Havaianas opened a breezy pop-up store on Gansevoort Street Thursday featuring everything from design-your-own flip-flops to Swarovski-studded sandals for brides.
Packed with more than 1,000 pairs of bright, foam-soled footwear, the 1,200-square-foot store the company's only outpost outside Brazil features a make-your-own flip-flop station.
Sandal seekers can choose a sole color and strap color to create the shoe ($25 for adults, $21 for children) and then add decorative pins available with tiny letters of the alphabet, hearts and New York icons including a yellow cab ($2.50 to 6.50 each).
Store staff said they expect to serve stiletto-wearers looking for a better way to navigate the area's characteristic cobblestones.
"We have exceptionally comfortable footwear that let the feet breathe, which is great if you're uncomfortable," a manager at the 74 Gansevoort St. store said Thursday. "With the cobblestones here, it can be safer to wear flip-flops."
Flip-flops at the shop, which features with bamboo trees and a large skylight, range from $18 for plain models to $200 the "top luminous" design for brides, studded with Swarovski crystals.
Customer Meggie Muyot, a 27-year-old banker visiting from San Francisco, picked up a pair of gold flip-flops with an ankle strap for relief from her flat, cushion-free sandals.
"Those are cute, but they were getting uncomfortable in the heat," she said. "I needed something different."
The shop is set to stay open through September 3.
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