RUMOR MILL
Monday, April 24, 2000
SIMMONS ENTERS RETAIL WORLD
Def Jam Co-Founder’s Harlem "Megastore" Will Feature Clothing, Home Furnishings, More
Def Jam Records co-founder Russell Simmons is adding a retail store to his growing list of ventures outside the music arena.
The planned 14,000-square-foot flagship store in Harlem will carry Simmons' own Phat Farm clothing line, as well as that of hip-hop mogul Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs, Polo and Versace.
But it also will offer items ranging from home furnishings and jewelry to pagers, he said.
"It's a megastore. It's a lifestyle store," Simmons told the New York Post. And it is "the first of what should be many, many stores." The rap music impresario said he is in the final stages of lining up a lease for the property.
The planned 14,000-square-foot flagship store in Harlem will carry Simmons' own Phat Farm clothing line, as well as that of hip-hop mogul Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs, Polo and Versace.
But it also will offer items ranging from home furnishings and jewelry to pagers, he said.
"It's a megastore. It's a lifestyle store," Simmons told the New York Post. And it is "the first of what should be many, many stores." The rap music impresario said he is in the final stages of lining up a lease for the property.
