MoMA? No, it’s Moomah

Retail concepts for kids tend to be either kitsch and over the top, a good example being Rainforest Cafe in London, or lacking in substance & personality altogether. Or it could just be that what personality there was has faded…the passion and belief in the brand in the first instance was never really there.

Experiencing approximately-12-month-old café Moomah for the first time today, I seriously felt I’d been left out of TriBeca’s best kept secret. It’s specific interest in kids strangely didn’t seem to discourage the light stream of business lunchers which was no doubt assisted by its decent menu and on-the-ball-staff.

Serving an unexpectedly full bodied latté will always be a good mom-magnet, so of course I’ll be back, but in all seriousnesss this fantastically creative and inspiring, whimsical space has been put together so well and therefore manages to dodge clichés. It so cleverly uses a combination of something old/something new that it becomes impossible not to feel wholely satisfied.

It doesn’t matter that it’s Tracey Stewart who owns the business (wife of political satirist, host of the Daily Show Jon Stewart), but just that it’s done so well: with a design sensibility that only a particular eye can deliver, with a true understanding of its market and their needs and with thorough consideration of the small details that make a difference to a customer’s retail experience. All this is solidly driven by a clear idea and a firm belief in that idea. We need one in Sydney please Tracey!

Moomah’s Funky Forest room provides the interactive sensory component of the experience. (See the Theo Watson link below). As for the rest? You’ll have to see, taste and feel for yourself.