Entrepreneurs: The Arrivals Kal Vepuri & Jeff Johnson

We were inspired to start The Arrivals when
KV: We happened to go to the 2013 Sweetlife Festival when Jeff was visiting the U.S. on a weekend trip from Amsterdam (he was working at UNStudio at the time ). We had always believed that the creative individual lacked authentic brands that aligned with their enthusiasm and ethos. While at the festival we decided that we wanted to create something unique in the apparel category that blended the merits of an architectural design approach with an online, direct-to-consumer retail model. About six months later, The Arrivals was born. We continue to be inspired by the creative community to develop elevated, high quality outerwear and offer it at an honest price.

The inspiration behind the name..
JJ: Our team is represented by a cross section of the creative community, consisting of architects, engineers and designers. Technically speaking, an arrival simply means the emergence or appearance of a new development, phenomenon or product. This resonated with our team (largely being industry outsiders) and was aligned with our mission to redraft outerwear by creating beautifully crafted garments that The Arrivals community loves with a value proposition not previously seen in the outerwear category.

How we met
JJ: We were connected in 2007 by our respective girlfriends at the time (who were friends), when I moved from San Diego to NYC to pursue an MA in Architecture at the Pratt Institute. We found common ground over music, design and technology and have been friends ever since.

Most exciting part about owning your own business
KV: Each day poses a new set of challenges and opportunities. Weve heard it compared to having a child and wed agree that its a challenge and responsibility that lives and breathes. Hopefully if we raise it well, itll be around long enough to impress us all with what it can achieve, who it can inspire and what it will teach the people who know it.

And the most challenging
JJ: Like anything you love, it can be all-consuming at times.

And how we overcome the above
KV: Celebrate the wins and try to enjoy all the portions in between.

When starting a company, you must
KV: Surround yourself with people who are smarter, more hungry, more resourceful and more talented than you.

And never be afraid of
JJ & KV: Trusting your gut.

To be a good leader
JJ: Communicate constantly and distribute your vision constantly. Involve individuals in your thoughts, questions, hypotheses and concerns it will keep them interested, aligned and excited for the road ahead.

Best business advice weve received
KV: Dont worry about always making great decisions, just focus on making every decision great from Naveen, our sage Head of Operations.

Whats next
JJ: We wake up every day inspired by up-and-coming creatives willing to forgo the status quo to do what they love. Through collaborations, experiences and contributions were looking forward to giving back to this incredible community!

Thank you for reading article Entrepreneurs: The Arrivals Kal Vepuri & Jeff Johnson

Alicia Keys Finds Buyer for $15M SoHo Penthouse

SOHO A massive Crosby Street condo that Alicia Keys and her producer husband Swizz Beatz once called home will finally have new tenants after prospective buyers complained about the musicians' taste in interior design.

The 6,000-square-foot penthouse perched atop 30 Crosby St. is in contract for $15 million, as Curbed first reported.

The three-story home, which boasts an additional 3,000 square feet in terrace space, was listed at $17.95 million in March 2012, according to the real estate website StreetEasy. Sotheby's dropped the price to $15 million in January.

Apparently, the musical couple's paint preference wasn't for everyone.

Exclusive Sotheby's International Realty broker Eric Malley told DNAinfo.com New York that a team of workers spent weeks over the holidays repainting walls that were "a very special cocoa color" and refinishing the floors so they were "less personal to the seller."

High-end apartment hunters who viewed the swanky digs before the overhaul told Malley the five-bedroom/four-bathroom penthouse with its own master suite spa just didn't feel like home.

"Their initial reaction was, 'This is amazing if I were coming to a party here, but where will I hang my art?'" he said. "They were having a hard time seeing past the color [on the walls]."

Prospective buyers' reactions changed after upgrades made the condo "fresh and crisp," Malley explained.

"People walk in now and their jaw drops," he added.

The Crosby Street penthouse has reportedly been home to Lenny Kravitz, and Courtney Love is said to have once lived in the 13-unit complex.

Malley declined to speak about the buyer.

Located in a discreet, landmarked building between Broome and Grand streets, Keys' former home offers the rare combination of huge windows and the privacy A-listers demand.

"No other apartments can see into it," Malley said. "That's something you can't really duplicate."

Floor-to-ceiling windows give the penthouse ample sunlight and a staggering views of the city, which Malley said is rare in the area's available real estate.

"Generally what happens in SoHo is you can find a large space but not with wide-open views like this."

According to the New York Post, Keys and Beatz who have a 2-year-old son are moving to the suburbs. The Post reported the couple is buying Eddie Murphy's seven-bedroom mansion in Englewood, N.J., for nearly $15 million. 

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Entrepreneur: Sevi Towels Jennifer Soliman

My backstory
Despite my 52 frame, the sports world has always pumped my adrenaline to epic levels. During my teenage years, my plan was to become the commissioner of the NBA and there was no better place to start than with my all-time favorite team: the Los Angeles Lakers. At 17, I received the opportunity of a lifetime and joined the Lakers Corporate Sponsorship department where I partnered with the heads of globally-acclaimed brands to enhance their market share and visibility. By the age of 22, I was the proud owner of three championship rings, thereby proving that an MVP can indeed wear pumps to work. After my tenure with the Lakers, I explored a new realm of sports and joined the Angels baseball team. Soon after, I married my husband after a chance encounter on Halloween. It was then that my personal and professional life changed forever.

And the inspiration behind SEVI
A few days before our wedding, my in-laws arrived from Turkey bearing gifts and love. My mother-in-law presented me with a basket full of linens that changed my life. In that traditional wedding basket was my very first pestemal [Turkish towel]. I loved using that pestemal so much that I found myself doing the laundry just to wash the one she gave me so that I could use it again. It became something that I used every day. I loved how quickly it dried off and that I could wrap myself in it. I used it to dry my hair, I took it wherever I traveled and was finally able to say good riddance to using hotel towels. And then it hit me I have this towel that I genuinely love using all the time and I have no idea where I can buy one in the U.S. And so began the journey of starting SEVI by sourcing the highest quality pestemals.

And a pestemal is
While relatively new to the US, pestemals have a long history throughout Europe and the rest of the world as the original toga depicted in ancient Turkish and Roman baths. SEVI pestemals are hand-loomed in Turkeys eastern Black Sea and Aegean regions using traditional methods, which create ultra-absorbent and fast-drying towels that soften with each wash. They also take up less space making SEVI easy to carry and perfect for travel. Pestemals are refreshingly versatile and can be used as a towel, scarf, picnic blanket, swimsuit cover-up and so much more. There are endless fashion and functional possibilities!

The inspiration behind the name
One of the first phrases my husband taught me to say in Turkish was seni seviyorum which means I love you. So in summary, SEVI is love.

Most exciting part about owning your own business
Making each day my own and meeting so many new people along the way. I have made so many great friends and partners who share my passion for fashion and design. Most importantly, I am able to organize my day to include spending time with my family and friends who serve as my source of inspiration.

And the most challenging
There are moments when you feel the weight of trying to manage so many moving parts. After working for such great organizations, I was used to having a team of people to work with on any given project. The luxury of having a marketing department, accounting department, public relations department, general counsel, human resources are gone for now as I embark on this growth phase of the business. Being a start-up feels like trying to be 50 different people while trying not to lose yourself.

And how to overcome the above
Ask for help and get creative! I wish I could afford to hire all the best and the brightest and one day I will, but in the meantime I had to be willing to ask for help. Perhaps it is an inherent trait of being an entrepreneur, but you will be tempted to think you can do it all yourself and it just is not possible. Once you let that go, you will be surprised at the number of people you know and the wealth of experts within reach. I have been so overcome with gratitude for the support that my former colleagues, friends and family have shown me.

When starting a company, you must
Have faith. There is really nothing more important than faith. Unwavering faith. You will be pushed, you will be tired, you will long for the days of getting paid every two weeks and the comfort of a good ol 401k, but you must have faith. Each person is unique, so there is no one magical answer, but before you start a company you must strive to identify what gives you faith. In those tough moments, which there will be plenty of, you have to return to that source of faith and not just regroup, but come back stronger.

And never be afraid to
Do something you havent done before. I graduated from UCLA with a degree in sociology, the vast majority of my work experience was in sports. Now, here I am in the fashion world working to build a Turkish towel company. I once read a quote that really stuck with me: What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail. That is what I ask myself in those moments when I am feeling afraid.

Best business advice received
Its from my dear friend and public relations counsel Farrah Parker. She once said, In this journey to achieve an extraordinary life rooted in love and purpose, you must redefine failure. With each attempt comes a wealth of knowledge that you will use to embrace the next step. You will fall but simply be a master at getting back up.

I love what I do because
SEVI is a daily reminder of the beauty of life. Each day, I reflect on how marrying my Turkish husband led to this beautiful towel that I am sharing with the world. Every time I use my own SEVI, I think of how things happen when you least expect it. I love every twist and turn that brought me to this very moment. I am living in a dream where I have the ability to shape my future one choice at a time.

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Woman Pushed to Ground and Robbed Outside SoHo Home, Cops Say

A New York City police officer stands on patrol April 6, 2010.

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Getty Images/Spencer Platt

MANHATTAN A pair of muggers pushed a woman to the ground and robbed her as she walked into her SoHo apartment building last week, police said. 

The victim, 24, was coming home to Sullivan Street near Broome Street about 4 a.m. Saturday when two men approached her from behind, according to the police report.

One of the men covered her mouth and pushed her down as the other snatched her Louis Vuitton handbag, police said.

The men ran north on Sullivan Street, making off with the $1,800 purse, a $380 Fendi wallet, a $600 iPhone 5 and a debit card, cops said. The debit card was used at a gas station at about 5:45 a.m., according to police.

Officers conducted a search of the area with no result and were checking this week whether the muggers were caught on area surveillance cameras.

The suspects are both in their early 20s, about 6 feet tall and 180 pounds, the victim told police. One wore a black hoodie and the other wore a gray hoodie, cops said.

Other notable crimes in this week's NYPD blotter in the 1st Precinct include:

A man stole an iPhone and debit card from a baby stroller inside the TriBeCa Whole Foods at 370 Greenwich St. last Friday about 3 p.m. as the victim, a 21-year-old woman, shopped nearby, police said.

Police described the suspect as a man in his 20s wearing gray sneakers and said they're looking into whether the thief was caught on surveillance cameras.

Whole Foods did not respond to a request for comment.

A man seen withdrawing cash from an ATM at 214 Broadway was found with seven debit and credit cards, the NYPD said. He told officers he was a federal agent and police officer, police said.

Laron Cambrell, 37, was arrested at 7:45 a.m. Friday and charged with criminal possession of a stolen credit card, grand larceny, criminal impersonation of a police officer and identity theft, police said.

The victims of the stolen credit and debit cards included three Brooklyn residents, a Manhattan resident and a Queens resident.

Cambrell was being held on Rikers Island and is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 23.

His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Two men stole $14,000 in jewelry and handbags from a designer SoHo shop about 6:45 p.m. Sunday, police said.

The suspects took two 14-karat gold rings, a 1-carat diamond ring and a $1,000 black leather shoulder bag that were on display at the Wendy Nichol Studio at 147 Sullivan St., police said. 

One suspect was wearing a baseball cap with the word "Vogue" on it and the other had a black and white jacket with writing on it, police said. The men were last seen heading north on Sullivan Street.

A worker at Wendy Nichol Studio declined to comment.

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Village Pre-K Spots Set to be Sparse Again This Fall

GREENWICH VILLAGE Families hoping to land a pre-K seat for their child at one West Village public school had less than a 1 in 10 chance of succeeding in 2012 and the coming school year is shaping up to be just as competitive.

The principals of the two elementary schools that serve Greenwich Village, the West Village, the Meatpacking District and SoHo said they're expecting the same number of pre-K seats as last year, which will likely mean lots of disappointed parents.

P.S. 3, located on Hudson Street, is expecting to have a total of 54 seats, with 18 all-day spots, 18 morning spots and and 18 afternoon spots, Principal Lisa Siegman said.

In 2012, the Department of Education received a whopping 609 applications for the 54 seats, meaning fewer than 9 percent of youngsters got in.

DNAinfo.com New York ranked sought-after public pre-K programs based on their 2012 admission rates.

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Celine Huang

"There are definitely way more families who want pre-K than there are spots," Siegman said.

CHECK YOUR CHANCES OF GETTING YOUR CHILD INTO PRE-K

P.S. 41 Principal Kelly Shannon said the West 11th Street school's pre-K seats are in similar demand, with many available spots set to go to children whose older siblings are already students at the school.

P.S. 41 will have 18 seats for the morning session and 18 seats for the afternoon session, like last year.

The number of families who requested P.S. 41 seats last year was not immediately available.

Applications to public pre-K programs are due April 5. Families fill out a centralized citywide application that allows them to select up to a dozen potential choices. All children who were born in 2009 are eligible to apply.

Families will find out if their child was accepted to a program in early June, and then they will have until June 19 to pre-register at that school.

Siegman said some pre-K seats will likely open up later in the year, as some families move or opt to send their kids to private schools.

At P.S. 41, afternoon seats are sometimes vacated, but morning seats fill immediately and stay filled, Shannon said.

Siegman said that even though the cost-of-living in the Village is high, there are plenty of locals who can't pay top dollar for private pre-K.

"There are people who live here who really need this," she said.

P.S. 3, Charrette School, 490 Hudson St.

Lydia Cresci, 8, chose a patterned dress for her first day of fourth grade at P.S. 41 in Greenwich Village Sept. 6, 2012. Her brother Nicholas, 6, chose a more casual look.

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DNAinfo/Andrea Swalec

This arts-integrated school values creativity and active learning. It has art and dance teachers, a room full of instruments and a PTA-funded music instructor.

P.S. 41, Greenwich Village School, 116 W. 11th St.

Known as a more traditional school than P.S. 3, this school has a classic pre-K curriculum that focuses on basic academic and social skills.

"You want them to feel a sense of community, learn to share and get familiar with the school," Shannon said. 

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To Read: Damien Hirst The Complete Psalm Paintings

Sharks. Medicine cabinets. Diamonds. Formaldehyde. And pharmaceutical packaging. Artist Damien Hirst uses shall we say decidedly unconventional materials in his work. Another case in point: his Psalm paintings from 2008, the subject of a new book by Other Criteria, are crafted from just two things: ordinary household paint and butterfly wings. The result is a series of 150 works all marvelous and wholly hypnotic that follow a kaleidoscopic geometry. Or perhaps they take after Gothic stained glass windows? After all, Hirst named them after psalms from the Old Testament, which Damien Hirst The Complete Psalm Paintings deftly showcases by juxtaposing each work opposite the complete psalm its named after. The mind wanders in multilayered musings on art, nature, science, religion, life, death just as the eyes does over each and every vibrant and colorful canvas.

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Giant Jenga and Connect Four Games Bring Playtime to Hudson Square

The oversized Jenga game in Freeman Plaza West rises 6 feet tall.

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Hudson Square Connection

MANHATTAN Kids and office workers have some new recreation gear in Hudson Square.

Oversized Jenga and Connect Four games are now available for the public to use in the recently created pocket park Freeman Plaza West.

The 3-foot-high Connect Four game and 6-foot-high Jenga set seemed like a natural fit for creative Hudson Square, said Ellen Baer, president and CEO of area business improvement district the Hudson Square Connection, which provided the items.

"We know that to foster creativity people need to take a break from their workday sometimes just a few minutes to read, relax or let loose," Baer said by email. "We thought this would be a fun way for people to enjoy their break, connect with friends (and maybe even make new ones) and possibly come up with their next great idea."

Freeman Plaza West, located at Hudson and Broome streets just west of the entrance to the Holland Tunnel, opened in May after the BID built it for $200,000. The land is owned by the Port Authority, which donated new trees and plants for the plaza.

The giant games are available for use while the plaza is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to dusk.

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