Alternative Apparel Caught Fire and Is Closed Until Further Notice

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Sad news: Alternative Apparel (not to be confused with American Apparel) has temporarily closed its store at 281 Lafayette Street due to fire damage, Bowery Boogie reported this morning."The store will be closed for a bit while we fix it up," a brand rep told the blog, who also mention that the burnt smell still emanated from the space that caught fire on November 5th.

"We are planning to reopen but it will take a bit of time to get up and running again," the rep continued. A date, not even an approximate one, was specified at the time.

The Soho store — the brand's first-ever brick-and-mortar on the East Coast — made its debut in April 2014 right next to American Apparel's Factory Outlet (which might not be long for this world), confusing some passersby. But Alternative differentiated itself from its next door neighbor by making the space interactive with in-store concerts, indigo dyeing classes, and a community table where you can charge your iPhone. Relive its good days by checking it out here.