Inside the Weirdest Luxury Shop in New York City

Episode Two of Invitation Only takes the viewer inside a curiosity shop in NYC's Upper East Side. The store sells bizarre, expensive stuff for home decoration: taxidermied peacocks, ancient Chinese headdresses, handmade bowls with rubies in them. You know? For your home...
Video by Jed Rosenberg
Host - Kim Bhasin
Cinematographer - Brian Schildhorn
Camera - Michael Byhoff
Graphics - Christian Capestany
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There is one sector of the retail industry that is going strong: luxury stores. Bloomberg reporter, Kim Bhasin hosts this video series that looks at the shops that sell the best of the best and the people who make the trip to the shop to part with their money. This is a series exploring the fanciest shops in the world. What do they sell, who owns them, and who are the customers buying this stuff? • Invitation Only : Seas...
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[@MrSneakySunday]

Low key my family has owned an island for 400 years

[@carlosmante]

Alcatraz? No way.

[@spormlastname267]

adam wild low key... are you the emperor of Japan? Lol. Idk.

[@vaibhavcherukuri1670]

Can I come. I'm very low key

[@debshreebasu8137]

wow 😮

[@duncanbyrne1134]

It’s a big ass island too

[@matev4786]

I walk past this shop all the time, I thought it was a hair dresser lol

[@kevinburrell4327]

mate lol

[@jar32111]

Right

[@fridayschild722]

😂

[@ChemicalQuail]

👏😂

[@mtadams2009]

Google the Island his family owns, yes he comes from a bit of money. The Hamptons are expensive but his family owns their own Island off the Hamptons.

[@comradecid]

...as further evidenced by his 'bro abroad' pics from india

[@lily_liza6666]

When you have so much wealth, why not relish in the remnants of colonialism for your center piece?

[@imalrockme]

Spot on!

[@sabanu899]

They rotate the items in a small group of families that bid high at auctions.!

[@user-vm5ud4xw6n]

Love the storefront! Absolutely gorgeous! I could spend hours in a shop like that!

[@enricopersia4290]

I love shops that are not recognizable at first sight, they wake up my curiosity

[@WendyBrandesJewelry]

Pucci is THE CUTEST pup! And that shop is incredible. Cool and unique pieces everywhere you look! The polished West Elm/Crate and Barrel look gets so redundant.

[@6ixConfessions]

I wonder if he picks items up from markets around the world for peanuts then goes back to the US & sells them for a small fortune. Like the handwoven baskets from somewhere in Africa. Hmm . . . 🤔

[@unaninanine3743]

Nothing wrong with that. We are happy with the jeans 😊

[@TRINIGAL067]

Yup

[@epualc]

I knew a spanish guy who travels to Perú and buy carved rocks made from the locals, and then take it to Spain to sell it to the rich for big money, he told me that for every carved rocks he paid btwn 6 and 10 dollars but he sells each rocks for 700 and even some big rocks for 1500 euros.

[@6ixConfessions]

@@epualc That's one way to get rich I guess.

[@thebirds2406]

That is exactly what he does, he travel and observe and buy handicrafts from locals, but he is interested in the story behind , the art and the people's culture and found it fascinating and trade made that his job. He is like one of those merchant traders in old times, I understand what he does, he's not stealing from anybody , not a tomb raider whatsover just selling arts and handicrafts from diverse artisans locals worldwide, pieces that people who do not travel and observe cannot see. I do understand his job a lot because I gave the same passion of buying and collecting so many things from street to antique but handcrafted by locals in a country I travel, then I do not sell I bring them at home for decorating😂😁… so many in my bedroom when I was younger hahaha my parents hated all the crazy things that I collect like for what just to much. I have like some Black Africans from Lesotho locals hat, Moroccan shisha, crystal glassware… Persian carpet, Arab dagger, Peruvian puncho, My room looked like a vintage shop. Now I own a handicraft shop myself in my developping country, selling bags, decorating objects made from shell, coconut, stones, nacres even bones from fish or ugly things that washed a shore at sea as much as a lot of seashell , I collect and create and sell diverse object made out of it along with rattan and raffia bags, all handmade. He is kind of doing the same shop in a fancy and rich country selling it to rich people and rich people in Western culture like to treasure and buy everything, they're not interested to buy if everyone owns it or if the price is cheap, it's like a pride for them to buy overpriced goods and rare, unique , so the man understand that world and created a job out of his passion and traveling life. Nice life actually!

[@penelopedinkledongs7178]

Yes, yes PLEASE come to San Francisco!! We have Paxton Gate, which is mostly taxidermy/rocks/natural stuff. You'd be unique, even here in SF...

[@playa3615]

That’s really cool when you find your passion!

[@pervysage4934]

This guy does it so he can put his vacations as a business expense and get tax breaks for it. He probably has a trust fund

[@seigeengine]

Paying for the shop alone would wipe out that kind of an advantage, and generally you don't get to just declare anything you want as a business expense and not get absolutely rekt by the government.

[@ReedSeedGaming]

seigeengine late reply but you’d be surprised how much you can write off

[@taaiee]

I stopped at "my family sent me to Kenya" "my family is from Long island". Okay, trust fund scanned.

[@aljosamrsovic2116]

Why are you jealous? His fortune does not substract from your ability to make your own fortune.

[@shifa444]

Aljosa Mrsovic how is she jealous?

[@Stoney-Jacksman]

@@aljosamrsovic2116 Actually mathematically it does.

[@bluefernlove]

Wow, resentful much? How sad that you need to express your misery at someone you don't even know because you can't do the same they can. What a sh*tty attitude.

[@jak9483]

That's amazing. His joy is obvious and catching.

[@isabellab5416]

4:03 those tiny little rug/throw things are priced at $500 :O

[@franciscoxavier99]

Usually this kind of antique stores, particularly the very expensive ones, are sort of business shells!

[@codywalker5818]

This show just tells robbers where to rob

[@NotSoNaturalLife]

Nah. Those places have been there forever. Stores like that have increased police patrols, security guards and advanced security systems. Don't be fooled.

[@seigeengine]

Yes, because robbers are incapable of knowing where expensive stores are. 10/10, you sure have a functioning brain.

[@SmithMrCorona]

Isn't that what all advertisement is? 60 second spots letting burglars know where all the grocery stores are?

[@BrownNProud112]

try and find a fence for a fuckin turtle shell lmao

[@WholeHeartily]

That place is like a gallery and museum together 😍

[@numb3r458]

Pucci need his/her own show....on Bloomberg!!!

[@alonsonic]

We need more episodes!!!

[@ic1013]

Love that dog at the beginning...

[@LackofExistence]

Me too, had to rewind a few times to see it in detail. Wonder what breed it is.

[@2TMarie]

Smart move, selling jeans, for unique pieces! 🏦

[@sutats]

Fascinating store.

[@portlandreviewer2143]

We have a similar store in Portland, OR called Paxton Gate.

[@Lobo_Loco1]

Jamie Creel seems like the type of dude that has really amazing and interesting stories that you could just sit and listen to all day.

[@9521jan]

Wise Words, "its not work for me, its just fun"

[@MichaelFrazierTube]

Wow...does anyone know the song underpinning the dialogue starting at :52 seconds?

[@nullobject5943]

Haha I like the host, insisting there is a way to smoke gold 😂

[@danielclausmeyer]

How about rewatching the video and rehearing the audio after editing?

[@tomcvm]

Go and find Arammula kannadi, the mirror made from minerals and get polished from it. It show the orginal image

[@WholeHeartily]

That pupperrrrr!!!! 😍

[@Pre-Nup]

Pucci is a Pomeranian, the dog at the end is a Bedlington Terrier

[@joshuacrommie6249]

If you open in SF I will definitely spend a lot of time and money at your store.

[@justagoof485]

Great owner of his perfect shop!

[@semiramisbonaparte1627]

omg love this

[@nicolasmoya9156]

I feel like the host for this show should really change

[@akyde1552]

They're all so bad. Hosts for Vice shows and BuzzFeed and whatever else are the same. They're all just journalists with almost no charisma.

[@marie-antoinettemanzan430]

The host is there to facilitate the interview not ‘be’ the interview. The highlight is the person they are interviewing. He wasn’t asking rude and controversial questions no but merely framing the content by simple questions.

[@OFNBW]

@@akyde1552 Yes, they're all soyboys and other millennials who have no conception of traditional fashion

[@cr4276]

He's honestly way too cringey and corny

[@skylarmccready]

@@akyde1552 I agree, he's low rent trying to be high end. Asks the dumbest questions and the intro is always stupid and long.

[@drewconway7135]

3:35 “Don’t arrest me!” Then chuckles like j/k, I’m white!

[@curlyhairdudeify]

That's my aesthetic, and I have gotten almost everything from Ebay.

[@montielh]

Is there any password to access a hidden store or selection?

[@NebPWN]

whats the name of the background music starting at 2:20

[@williamwoody7607]

Get it goofy-it’s IN the Bronx, IN Queens. It’s ON the UES, ON the UWS, ON Long Island.

[@CantThinkofaCoolOne]

Cool shop. Wow.

[@Philboshaba]

You can for sure buy illegal ivory etc. at this shop.

[@debshreebasu8137]

Refilwe Chaba hmmmm possible

[@loopyafterdark]

If it's old enough, cant it be purchased?

[@Slevin-Kelevra]

If its dated for before the ban or if it dies of natural causes or humanly due to health reasons, yes you can buy legal ivory.

[@niilespunkari8832]

@@Slevin-Kelevra... or mammoth.

[@ninaelsbethgustavsen2131]

@@loopyafterdark I've got a hand carved mammoth tusk cameo necklace, bought from a museum in Murmansk Russia. Roughly 10.000-20.000 years old. So legal. (...and NO, it's no plastic replica. I'm a gemstone collector....) 🙂💎

[@ashwynn4177]

There's a store like this in London UK I went to but then could never find again. Anyone know about it?

[@ramsen_]

I would spend hours in this store. 😍

[@johnjohnson3709]

It’s just a very upscale antique store.

[@blockshift758]

Interesting

[@golgoth7600]

So he's selling overpriced tourist gift shop crap

[@gbologna2466]

Oh yeah, definitely, because vintage of items that are hundreds or thousands of years old are just like cheap collectibles that you can buy for $5.

[@golgoth7600]

Reverend Jeremiah Thompson . I was talking about his network of cheap labor artisans that he exploits. Buying stuff from them for a very small fraction and sell it back for a 1000% profit. Don't be so butthurt. Did you buy something there? You probably feel special now...

[@seigeengine]

It's almost as if shipping something across the planet, storing and displaying it in an expensive area, and then having to pay all the associated costs of running a business aren't cheap things to do, and justify enormous markups. It's not like that's not already common in literally the entirety of retail.

[@jasperdalesamaniego6504]

It reminds me of Calixto's house of curiosities..

[@jasonsmith7416]

This reminds me of Ab Fab, mark it up and sell it on. More like a self important Pier One, lol....

[@michaelpadilla5770]

Can't wait till you open a store in San Francisco

[@kimberlybrown1446]

I love this would love to visit

[@kslim1013]

I want to buy whole England any special offer here?

[@Garganzuul]

Funny, strange, that Nairobi corollary. So these are the 'blue jeans' of NYC?

[@deereddy5388]

What's that a Crystal Skull???

[@chrisjong8412]

More from this shop please, why are these videos so short

[@aitorgonzalez6778]

Anyone knows what breed was the dog near the end?

[@Pre-Nup]

Bedlington Terrier

[@nicolaseando]

Wow, amazing. I hope Jamie came to Argentina someday to take some bits from here too.

[@professionalcommenter]

1:32 Lol!!

[@moniquebosman3178]

i prefer 2 nd hand shops they so cute and funny

[@mackenziebowker8956]

I want one in San fran

[@viceb7]

But I love curiosities shops so much

[@stanleyjuma6129]

Nairobi!

[@gggggggggggggggggg161]

So it's like EVERY curiosity shop but super expensive?

[@tysongonsorowski8574]

Wonder if this guy goes garage salin on Saturday morning.?

[@joyxwrld]

me watching a sneak peek of my future life

[@RohanThota]

when u travel too much and need actual stuff to prove the travel in the 90's coz they dint have insta stories ..

[@dominicrobertson7626]

If you can't put pics on instagram the least you can do is bring back a momento to remind you of your travels

[@tonchidobs3650]

reporter FOR Bloomberg....damn, every time with this guy...

[@liviazimmermann306]

3:00 is just history repeating itself

[@rcrhinehart66]

Oh to be born in the .05% so amazing, so talented. BARF. I'm positive he pays his cashiers minimum wage.

[@winidepuh4868]

Mr. Chiweeni jealous much?

[@MrSneakySunday]

Probably commission, I'm certain the associates need knowledge of the unique things in the store and how to sell them.

[@seigeengine]

Gotta love the bitter and poor. Always come up with some excuse to bitch.

[@TheDrSweetTooth]

so how much should it be?like ceo wage level?🙄

[@briankimotho5622]

Kenya 🇰🇪 the land of Heritage... You're very welcome

[@hannajeung9880]

contemporary imperialism and capitalism at its most bourgeoisie moldy...

[@ladyabstinencelevain8696]

id love to go there if i had the money

[@marypoppins7360]

“Were the owners of Gardiners Island” (for non NYrs that’s basically owning a big chunk of East Hampton)

[@conexos2007]

Can they stop the idea of upper east side is a rich posh neighborhood with rich people? There are just a couple just like in anywhere.

[@DaggieBlanqx]

I am from Nairobi Kenya...but today its way way better than what you've portrayed ...Nice idea though

[@Brownie8986]

He did say "when he was 15" which obviously infers this was several decades ago just by looking at him. No need to be over sensitive. Dude clearly is over 50! 😂😂

[@saisiwere2871]

chill dude what hes referring to was probably in the eighties...

[@johnyman5880]

No it’s not.

[@DaggieBlanqx]

@@Brownie8986 no one is over-sensitive here ...I am my country's storyteller ; when the story of my nation is told wrongly its my duty as a patriotic citizen to straighten it out 😇

[@hayaglamazonluxe]

You are absolutely correct. I'm Tanzanian and I cringed at that ridiculous Blue Jeans story! No one was worried about denim in the 80s in Kenya because many people were wearing suits!

[@johnyi3120]

Taxidermy is super common and cheap tho

[@europamacmillan9498]

A lot of wonderful items but I wouldn’t consider any of them weird

[@patw.6567]

I want a deer head

[@andrewcbartlett]

“Money doesn't buy taste, personality, or common decency.” ― Jennifer L. Armentrout. In my opinion Taxidermy is in very poor taste. I question someone's personality or decency who would want to own it.

[@3ivyrocks3]

I 100% agree with you on this

[@JaesadaSrisuk]

Taxidermy is part of a rich legacy of both artistic and scientific practices that date back thousands of years. From indigenous cultures that collected feathers for traditional art forms, so the great biological taxidermy collections of universities that built the foundation upon which the study of biology and taxonomy was formed. So much about what we know about the living world is due to taxidermy, and it’s still an essential tool by which we catalogue and preserve the natural world.

[@zels3883]

taxidermy is super neat and fun if you know where to get it, if the animals are legally and ethically hunted, and if you're supporting a business that isn't mistreating the animals or its workers.

[@Garganzuul]

Justice, that is a very well-motivated reason to have taxidermy. - Not so sure how a deer head on a wall fits into it.

[@seigeengine]

In my opinion, taxidermy is a beautiful preservation of the product of billions of years of refinement and adaptation. Death is a part of life. All things die. I question the personality and decency of anyone so opposed to taxidermy.

[@ramirez8300]

Respected, i am Ramiz , a gold beads manufacturer from india, wants to sell my gold ornaments in whole india & abroad country also, is there any scope ? how can i get help me please

[@carltonmorrison5702]

What is that dog at 4:16?!

[@CamDvs]

Carlton Morrison It is a Bedlington Terrier.

[@winidepuh4868]

Cameron Davos is it the 'posh' kind of dog?

[@user-kq2ks9ry7r]

*Could you PLEASE use synonyms for "fancy".. It's going to turn into a drinking game any time soon!*

[@Bunny-ch2ul]

The word "fancy" is like "classy." Those that use it, aren't. Either is only okay ironically, and even then, sparingly.

[@STRIKERBOY101]

0:14

[@dustinhall669]

I think I prefer Obscura.

[@Bunny-ch2ul]

1. Don't call items weird just because they're foreign. That's incredibly rude, and makes you sound incredibly uneducated. 2. This store looks like a crappy version of Deyrolle. If you want to see absolute exquisite taxidermy, and truly fascinating animals, go to Deyrolle. It's one of the coolest shops in the world. Paris doesn't need another branch of this store. They already have Deyrolle.

[@adrian200047]

Oh he’s rich rich

[@kraaidievoel]

We are not Apple🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Cakiej]

mason interviewing mason?

[@kendrah1616]

I wish he would have asked where the name came from.

[@marie-antoinettemanzan430]

What’s up with people here wealth-shaming?

[@debshreebasu8137]

Marie-Antoinette Manzan 😆😆

[@rklmbd2934]

I for one am definitely not wealth shaming. But I pay for Bloomberg to be a tool I use to manage and increase my wealth. Not for fluff pieces about how other people spend theirs.

[@rscottlogan9471]

It is the latest thing.1968 again.

[@islagrace5053]

So, you have to be rich to to sell this or you can sell this and get rich...

[@ATommy-cz1qc]

That’s orientalist habibi

[@MatraBatra]

I lOve To TrAveL

[@Chhan4]

Guinness World Museum - 'hold my beer'

[@DeadAbeVigoda]

"The motht opulent hometh!"

[@autumnfall8829]

Lol

[@urielpelaez8199]

Now I know where to go sell some stolen artifacts

[@user-em6mc7mp9k]

1:46 that face in the mirror. Lol 😂

[@MrYunori]

Luxury reporter rly needs a dentist ASAP

[@skylarmccready]

So this cat buys a crap load of levi's at the Goodwill and Thrift shops, trades them in other countries for their handmade wares and then brings them back and sells them for high dollar to dolts that have more money then they know what to do with. Got it.

[@autumnfall8829]

Bingo

[@bobsmith-ov3kn]

This is the equivalent of a little lemonade stand for bilionares