ABC Carpet & Home’s Paulette Cole on the Company’s Future

Ask any in-the-know New Yorker for recommendations for home and decor stores in the city, and ABC Carpet & Home is sure to be top of list. For nearly a decade—long before the concept of "experiential retail" became mainstream—the store offered a unique haven of all things home across the many levels of its iconic dual Flatiron buildings. But, as is a familiar refrain to anyone in today's retail world, times are changing. Last month, news broke that the legendary home store, which has long occupied an entire building on Broadway and East 19th Street (Carpet is across the street), sold several of its floors as part of a $133 million deal, comprising part of ABC's building at 888 Broadway as well as square footage on the adjacent 38 East 19th Street, leaving the store with a total of four floors (including its basement market level). So what does the deal mean for the beloved store—and for the future of brick-and-mortar retail in general?

As CEO and creative director Paulette Cole sees it, the change is just part of a continuing process of evolution. "This is a story of our transformation," she tells AD PRO. It's a fitting metaphor for a store whose vision is of the home as a sacred sanctuary—and one that is ever-evolving. "We're constantly reinventing and evolving ourselves, and or home should reflect that—it should mirror back to us who we are. Our real intention with ABC is to encourage people to create their sacred spaces."

To Cole, that sense of space—of home—goes far beyond the house or apartment one inhabits. In her years overseeing the store, Cole has transformed a carpet outfit into a holistic, experiential destination for decor, wellness, and—with the opening of three nearly perpetually-booked restaurants—nourishment. With its reduction in square footage, the company will continue to emphasize this expanded notion of home.

"In these disruptive times in retail, it's been an important moment for us to realign ourselves and look to our highest vision through the ABC eye," Cole explains. "That means maximizing our space with products that deeply align with our spirit and passion and aesthetic. Basically, we are reducing our footprint to four levels while remaining passionate about the home and how the home begins within our own bodies and how we nourish ourselves."

Cole is deeply passionate about food and especially keen on championing family farms, plant-based diets, and organic eating. With ABC Kitchen, ABC Cocina, and the newest addition, the vegan abcV, Cole has worked with chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten to translate her vision into a culinary expression. "The restaurants are an embodiment of our passion for how we nourish ourselves," Cole explains. "We deeply believe in the importance of how we source. We want to realign ourselves with natural elements because we're living in a very urbanized world."

The reduction of the store's square footage comes at a time when its restaurants are more popular than ever—and when the concept of a store with an associated eatery doesn't seem nearly as far-fetched as it did when ABC Kitchen first opened its doors in 2010. It's also in the wake of ABC opening a new outpost in Industry City, the Brooklyn neighborhood that has proven itself a magnet for creative companies over the past year.

"I think what I have strived to do at ABC is to really tap into a collective consciousness and to evolve to what people want," says Cole. "We're inspired to inspire. What we hear more than anything is people like to come in when they're feeling depressed or sad, so our goal is to become that sanctuary, while reflecting what we need to lead us into the 21st century. There will be changes, and it will be a shift, but we're looking forward to it."

Above all, don't expect anything to be set in stone: "In the same way we feel that your home is never really done, the same goes for the store," says Cole. "We see ABC as a living organism that's always changing and is a reflection of our growth, and a way to be deeply responsive to the world around us." We, for one, can't wait to see what's in store.