Hasta La Ideas

It’s a sad day for the design world. New York design emporium Moss has been shuttered—we hope temporarily. After a tipster sent us word that the doors of the legendary Greene Street store were papered in government notices, we contacted the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance and confirmed that the property was seized late yesterday. According to Department spokesman Brad Maione, there are four tax warrants against Moss for unpaid sales and withholding taxes. Dating from May of this year for periods reaching back to September 2009, the warrants total $149,002. Moss will have a period of time in which to resolve the situation before further action is taken by the Department. The shuttering follows the recent announcement of the Soho’s store’s abridged hours and the September closing of the Moss outpost at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills.

In an e-mail sent today to friends and colleagues of Moss, owners Murray Moss and Franklin Getchell attribute the store closure to “our failure to file a document (one of literally hundreds!) with the Department [of Taxation and Finance]” and emphasize that they consider the shuttering temporary. “Our tax advisors, lawyers, and accountant have been great, working throughout the evening and morning to satisfy this State bureaucratic situation,” they explained. “We believe we can get them all the documents they need within today, and re-open, if not tomorrow, then hopefully by Monday.” Moss and Getchell say that they are focused on negotiating “mutually acceptable financial arrangements which make sense and allow for a stable, doable plan going forward.” They also note that they have put
financing in place, adjusted store overhead, and re-evaluated projections in anticipation of “a fabulous Holiday offering.” Here’s hoping that we’ll be back at Moss for the seasonal hoarding of Fornasetti plates that we call Christmas shopping.

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